


Intaglios

by blacklacedgloves



Series: Retinue [1]
Category: K-pop, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Drama & Romance, Healers, M/M, Multi, Romance, Vampire Sex, Vampires, Warlocks, Were-Creatures, Werecats, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2018-11-08 02:34:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11072274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacklacedgloves/pseuds/blacklacedgloves
Summary: In which Hakyeon is special. So special that he caught the eye of Taekwoon





	1. Chapter 1

The trees lining the streets look somewhat familiar, the long branches filled with yellowing leaves providing some shade with a little bit of sunlight flickering though as the bus made its way into the city centre where the terminal was. It was as if the years had remained in stasis and nothing has changed. And yet, everything has changed since he left this town more than a decade ago. Just not the looks of it. 

He would not have came back if he had a choice. If he could, he would rather be back at the academy honing his skills, skills that were too great for this small town. The small down that singled him out and made a fool out of him for as long as he could remember. 

Hakyeon was never normal. His parents knew it, his extended family knew it, which meant that the town knew it as well. But they would never call him special. Instead, they used the words “Freak” or “Monster” or sometimes the young unlearned ones would call him “Queer”. Oh, if only they knew. If only they knew then what he knows now, that he could poison them and make them feel pain as though their skin was burning hotter than the pits of hell with just a few choice ingredients. If only they knew that with a simple trinket, he could make anyone fall flat on their faces with every ten paces he took. If only they knew that he could create draughts that take away pain or a drop of his special potions he could make people simply forget. Would he still be the outcast then? He sighed softly at all these thoughts in his head. No, if there was something the academy taught him, was that he would not use his skills for personal gain. His teachers said something about karma and how it really was a bitch when it comes back to bite you in the ass three times as hard. There was no way Hakyeon was going to risk it, not when he had a chance to start afresh. Or as fresh as it could be with both his parents six feet under. 

Which brought him back to his earlier train of thought. He would not have been here if he had a choice, but as the Fates have decided, he was left with no other option. His parents needed a proper burial, it was the least he could do for them after they squandered their savings on his magical education. Everything about this was just so unexpected. His parents had been healthy, coming to visit him in the capital whenever they could scrape up enough money to travel just to see their precious son. So the news of their sudden passing didn’t register in his head when he first got it. Heck, it hasn’t even registered now that he’s in his hometown, where everyone is giving him pitying looks and whispering to one another about what a tragedy all this is. It’s funny how everything remained the same, how nothing has changed after all these years. 

-

To say that the week had been a trying one was an understatement.  
Moving back into his parent’s apartment proved to be difficult, with the memories of his childhood flooding back to him. Nights of him crying himself to sleep because he could not understand why people will call him names or make fun of how dark he was. It was not his fault that he could sometimes set something on fire or that his skin colour was different from his peers, he just didn’t understand it back then. And now reliving all these memories, he could still feel the slight sting of the words that were hurled at him, it was like a wound that had almost healed and if you pick hard at the scabs, you start bleeding again. 

Finding burial ground was next on his long to-do list and it was by far the most difficult thing he had to do. Running his fingers along the smooth and lacquered wood of their casket made his eyes burn with unshed tears and he forced himself to choke back a sob. It was too late for him to do anything now, their hearts had stopped for days and there was nothing he could do to bring them back to life. And so, on a bright and sunny day he laid them to the ground side by side like he thought they would have wanted. This was it, the last speck of dirt had fallen and they were sealed into the ground. Waving his hands over their grave in a practiced patterned he mouthed the words of a ward, protecting them so that even in death they would always be able to find one another.  
The rest of the week had passed by a little easier, turning the noodle shop that his parents had owned just below the apartment into an apothecary of sorts. There was no way he was going to let his education in the magical arts go to waste, especially his efforts going in to become a healer. What an irony, healing the people who had scorned him to begin with. The people who was still avoiding him like a plague because he was different. 

It was a Friday night when he realized that he had ran out of food in the house. With a soft sigh, Hakyeon grabbed the tote bag that he used for his groceries and headed out. He hated going out and wold avoid it if he could. It wasn’t the hateful looks that bothered him, it was the ones that were filled with fear or pity, sometimes with was both that got to him. He just couldn’t understand why they would pity him. Sure, he had lost his parents very recently, but he didn’t think it was worth a week of such looks thrown his way. The looks of fear was also something that kept him up at night. Were they fearful of him, or scared for him? Fear was a look he recognized often in the city when people were out in the middle of the night, because monsters lurk in the shadow and once they had their claws in you, you’re as good as gone. Did they think of him as one of them, as one of the monsters? The thought of him brought a frown to his face, making him almost miss the store. Sighing for the nth time that day, he squared his shoulders and relaxed his face into indifference before reaching out to push the door in. 

Minutes later and with his arms full of bags, he slowly made his way home in the dark. The sun had set while he was busy buying everything he could get his hands on so that he wouldn’t have to visit the store anytime soon and interact with the people there. It was bad enough that people stared at him every time they passed by his shop, but it was much worse when you’re in an enclosed space and everyone had their eyes trained on you like you were some sort of exotic animal on display. Hakyeon stopped mid-step, feeling the hairs at the back of his neck standing to attention. Something, or someone one was following him. He could not be sure who or what it was, it was hard to tell now that shapeshifters and the undead roamed the night like it belonged to them. Taking in a deep breath to steel himself, he took bigger and quicker steps until he finally reached the door of his dark shop, closed for the day hours ago. He dug through his pockets in haste trying to look for the keys when he heard the familiar sound of metal meeting concrete. 

“Fuck.” Hakyeon muttered softly under his breath, gathering every inch of courage and bravery he could muster and set his bags down on the ground. He needed to be fast to be in the confines of his newly reacquainted home, he had wards and spells set up to protect him instead of being out in the open like this, like a mouse on an open field just waiting for a bird of prey to come swoop him up in their sharp talons. He willing his hands not to shake as he crouched down to reach out for the keys, but before his fingers could brush against the cool metal, a pale hand came into view and snatched it up, forcing Hakyeon to look up into the eyes of someone who had been haunting his dreams for the past decade. 

“Taekwoon…” His voice trailed off, not exactly sure of what to say. 

The man known as Taekwoon gave him a small smile that didn’t reflect in his dark soulless eyes. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” 

Right, to say this week had been a trying week was definitely an understatement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see just how special Hakyeon is and how Taekwoon came into the picture.

He knew this feeling well, like how there is a sudden chill at the back of his neck making the tiny hairs there stand on attention. They call it fear. And he was getting so well acquainted with the feeling that he was going to name it his best friend soon, probably in the next few days. The root to his fear was always the same thing, down to the same recurring problem. He did something that he shouldn’t have done. 

It was not as if he wanted to do it by choice. The kids in school were making fun of him, saying that he was weird, that he was a monster and that he belonged in the pits of hell for having unnatural talents. When they had first started calling him names, he was sad. He had often wondered why no one wanted to be his friend when he was clearly talented. He had talents that no one else had, an advantage in life, make things happen that no one else in school could. Days of ridicule turned to months and his sadness turned to anger as time went on, which was how he got into this current predicament. School had ended late that day and he was trying his best to make it home before the sun set and became dangerous, the dark streets was no place for a twelve year old no matter how special he was. Hakyeon was too busy looking over his shoulder, power walking his way home, making sure no one or nothing was following him home that he seemed to forgot to see where he was going and he bumped into some seniors in school. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by boys that were twice his size, testosterone running high in their veins looking for someone to relieve their stress and who better to be on the receiving end than the kid that nobody liked. And one by one they started closing in on him and backing him up against the wall, Hakyeon could feel his throat closing up. He couldn’t breathe no matter how hard he was trying, like his fear was the monster here and it was wrapping its long wispy fingers around his throat and crushing his windpipe. Soon the long fingers felt too real, it was then he realized that it wasn’t fear choking him. It was Youngguk. 

Adrenaline had kicked in even before his mind could register it, telling him that he had to fight since there was no way he could run, not when someone that strong was making an effort to crush him, his will to survive was stronger than his rationality at the moment. Hakyeon’s fingers were shorter and stubbier compared to his assailant, but it didn’t matter. He gripped tightly onto Youngguk’s forearm and held on tight, and soon the smell of burning flesh and the sound of a piercing scream assaulted his senses. As if his body could take anymore abuse. The fingers on his neck loosened but Hakyeon only tightened his hold on his bully, anger had taken over his fear, his eyes darkening to an endless pool of black as he watched the rest of Youngguk’s friends backing off in fear. Who’s the scared one now?   
One by one they bolted from their so called friend while he writhed in pain on the ground, after Hakyeon managed to take a deep breath with some difficulty, he managed to regain some of his senses and rationality, and let the burnt arm go, leaving Youngguk all alone with the darker boy. Yongguk begged and begged with a broken voice, asking Hakyeon to spare him, that he wouldn’t tell a soul about this. That his secret was safe and none of his friends would even breathe a word about this to anyone. Just as well.

“Forget everything.” Hakyeon muttered softly under his breath and he felt a pull from deep inside him. A heartbeat, then another one and another one as he saw the blankness seeping into Youngguk’s eyes. It was then that he panicked. Hakyeon never meant for any of this to happen, never intended to hurt Youngguk to the point that he would probably lose the use of his arm. And now he would probably not remember his own name, let alone what happened to him. Feeling bile slowly creeping up his throat he ran. He had no idea where he was going nor did he care, all he knew was that he had to get away from the scene of the crime. 

-

Everything burned. From the lingering heat on his trembling hands to the tears that threatened to spill out as he sat in a dark alley, the lamppost overhead casting a long shadow that weaved seamlessly into the dark. He wasn’t afraid of the monsters anymore, in a span of minutes he had become one himself. He completely forgot about all the things his parents told him about not hurting anyone else and here he was, with black blood and burnt skin sticking to his palms. The smell of it was making him want to gag but he had already done so, three times. There was nothing left for him to hurl out of his stomach. The adrenaline was wearing off and fear was kicking in once more, a feeling that he knew well. He should have known better, better than to fight back. He should have just let them beat him up, at least he would be in a lot less trouble than what was going to happen when everyone else found out. 

The sound of gravel getting crushed under a heavy weight cause Hakyeon to snap his head up so hard that it almost gave him a whiplash. He was in so much trouble, there was no moon tonight and everything just seemed a little darker than it should. He was not supposed to be out here, alone and in the dark. His parents would have his hide for this. But all thoughts left his mind when his gaze fell on a pair of cat-like eyes. 

“It’s dangerous for a little boy to be out here alone, smelling like you do.” The stranger purred and Hakyeon could feel the magic weighing down on him, trying to calm him down but he refused it, he needed all his wits around him. 

“I’m not little, I’m twelve.” He could see the man trying his best to keep from laughing and Hakyeon decided that he liked the look of amusement on the older man’s face. “I can’t go home like this.”   
He showed the stranger his hands, even though he had no idea what possessed him to do something like that, especially when he had no idea what this beautiful creature before him was. But one thing was for sure, he was not human. 

He tutted softly under his breath, an epitome of timelessness and grace and he took Hakyeon’s hands in his own, swiping his thumbs across his small wrists. It was then that Hakyeon realized that this man’s hands were cold. He wanted to pull his hands back but the grip on his wrists had tightened, not painful but firm, like he was expected to run. 

“I have no intention of hurting you tonight.” His voice was surprisingly soft and it was soothing to Hakyeon’s ears. Was it the magic that laced that soft melodic words or was it that he was too tired to fight right now? “Let’s get you cleaned up and get you home.” 

“I can’t go home.” Hakyeon’s soft and vulnerable voiced surprised himself. “Not when I did something bad. Everyone would hate me.” 

“Child,” The stranger started and Hakyeon shot him a dirty look. He was not most definitely a child and he didn’t need anyone to sweet talk him like this, no matter how good and comforting it sounded to his ears. “Your magic made sure that no one would know about this.” 

Just when Hakyeon thought that he could not be any more surprised by the turn of events that happened today, he was once again proven wrong. “You.. You know?”

“I can smell the magic rolling off you.” The stranger sniffed as if to prove a point and he gave Hakyeon a small smile, eyes disappearing and never once showing his teeth. “I hope you know how special you are.” 

“I’m not special.” Hakyeon pulled his gaze away from that perfect face and looked down at his bloodied hands. “People think I’m a freak of nature, that I shouldn’t be born. They don’t even hide how much they hate me.” 

“You’ll find out soon enough, child.” His tone left no room for discussion as he pulled the younger boy up to his feet and led him down the alley where Hakyeon assumed he came from. 

Hakyeon’s hand was encased in the stranger’s colder and bigger hand as they walked, not knowing where he was being led to, the street lights overhead flickering like a scene from a B grade horror film, but somehow Hakyeon felt safe with him, whoever this man is. Whatever this man is. 

It didn’t seem long before the taller man stopped at what seemed to be a brick wall and Hakyeon tightened his chubby fingers around ivory skinned hand even before he could help himself. He could feel the cat-like gaze of the ethereal man standing in front of him, blocking his vision of the wall. Out of nowhere, a door swings open and his human-sized obstacle stepped aside for Hakyeon. “Go on.” 

He should know better than to go into the lion’s den. He knew nothing of this man, and now here is was, standing at a darkened entrance which leads to God knows where. Yet somehow he felt totally at ease with the whole situation. Was it the magic that this man seemed to possess as well? Was he caught in a trap the moment he looked into his dark eyes? In his deep thought he didn’t realize that he had passed the threshold until the door closed behind them, enclosing them in complete darkness. 

Hakyeon started a little, feeling the coldness of long fingers around his wrist that was soon becoming familiar. There was supposed to be something wrong with this picture but he couldn’t seem to find it, he simply followed as he was guided in the darkness. Completely blind, he had no idea he was supposed to stop until his face met with the cool fabric of the other man’s shirt, earning him an amused chuckle that seemed to be music to Hakyeon’s ears. 

He saw the fire even before he heard the match being struck, emitting a warm glow around the area that seemed to grow once the fire was steady on a candle, revealing a modest living space with just the bare necessities which either meant that he wasn’t a man who would decorate or he had not been here long enough to do so. 

The coldness around his wrist disappeared and he almost whined at the loss of it, almost. But Hakyeon had better control than that. Looking up he saw the tall figure by the sink, gesturing him to the sink where he could wash his bloodied hands. Making his way there with tentative steps, as if one wrong move and he would end up dead on the ground. Reaching the white sink he stuck his hand under the tap of running water that was turned on for him just moments before, watching as the mess of black and red fall off his hands and staining the whiteness of the porcelain. Hakyeon could not seem to do anything else but to watch, trying his best not to think about what happened earlier with Yongguk. With every ribbon of crimson and ebony going down the drain he could feel himself getting lighter, it was as if the weight of his crime was lifted off him, there was no evidence to pin it to him, nothing to remind him of what he did. For now. 

It took a moment, or maybe five before Hakyeon felt well enough to look up at the man looming over him with his tall height, giving him a small but wobbly smile. “I think I’m clean enough now.”   
The stranger said nothing, instead he grabbed a towel to help Hakyeon dry his hands off, tossing the towel aside once he was done he took Hakyeon’s hand once more, this time holding it like how a parent would hold a child’s and led him out of his modest quarters. 

It didn’t take them long for them to reach the alley that Hakyeon was found, refusing to even spare a glance at where everything went downhill, taking the lead now that he know where he was going. Home, safe from all these bullies and tall strangers that make him feel weird things in his tummy, doesn’t matter if the said stranger’s hand was in his and was following quietly behind the tanned skin boy. 

Reaching the doorstep of his house that was nestled quietly next to his parent’s noodle shop that had closed for the day, he tilted his head up to look at the elder. “Will I see you again?” 

“You will. Tomorrow night if you like.” And suddenly Hakyeon’s heart started thumping in his chest in anticipation for tomorrow. Ever since he found out of his special gifts, he had never looked forward to the next day as much as he was now, wanting the night and tomorrow to be over so that he could see that perfect face once more. He could not find it himself to give an answer without an answer so he only replied with a nod. The elder gave him one of his perfect smiles and knocked on the door, informing the residents of the house that someone was there before turning on his heels to walk into the night, Hakyeon’s gaze never once leaving his broad shoulders 

Hakyeon had told his parents that he was unwell, not wanting to go to school the next day, afraid of what he might face if he went to school and he knows that he wasn’t ready. His parent believed him, seeing how pale and fidgety he was when he appeared at their doorstep the night before. They were worried out of their minds, having a child out in the night where monsters roamed freely. The both of them agreed that it was best that they kept their son home for a day or two just to reassure themselves more than anything else. And so, Hakyeon stayed in his room, going through books about magic that his parents would get for him when he did well in school, reading through the theory behind potions. 

Soon before long, the sun had set over the horizon, excitement thrumming through his veins at the thought of seeing the stranger once more. He was all Hakyeon could think about throughout the day. And now that night had finally arrived, he found himself glancing at his window every few seconds, which made sense to him because he can’t simply waltz into his house unannounced. He didn’t even have a name. 

A small sound by the window broke his train of thought, looking up at the glass he couldn’t help but smile. There was his perfect stranger holding onto something to support himself and gesturing for Hakyeon to open the window, which he did without a hint of hesitation. 

“Hi.” Hakyeon’s words came out soft and breathless, earning him a small smile from the stranger. “I didn’t… I didn’t get your name.” 

Hakyeon was faced with a blank mask. A heartbeat, two, three had passed before he heard the voiced he had waited all day to hear. “Taekwoon.” 

-

Knowing that he had no need to go to school the next day, he stayed up as late as his body would allow, with Taekwoon sitting on the edge of his window silently watching him while he continued his reading. There was no need for conversation between the both of them and it didn’t feel awkward to Hakyeon one bit. Somehow it felt like this was the most peaceful he had ever been in a long time.   
He had no idea when he had fallen asleep, but when he was woken up rudely by his parents shaking his shoulder, Taekwoon was nowhere to be found. Hakyeon tried to rub the sleep from his eyes when he noticed the commotion around the room, his parents rushing to and fro trying to grab as many things as they could and stuffing it in a suitcase. 

“Mum? Dad? What’s going on?” Hakyeon felt tense, like the fear that he was so well acquainted with was slowly seeping back into his tiny body. 

It had taken a while before his father paused for a moment, as if he was trying to find the right words to tell a twelve year old. “We’re sending you to the city. To keep you safe.” 

“You mean to keep everyone else safe didn’t you?” Hakyeon didn’t know where that came from. No one was supposed to know what happened that night. No one but him and Taekwoon. It was supposed to be their dirty little secret, didn’t Taekwoon say that his magic made sure of that? 

His mother stopped with the packing for a moment and walked over to her son, crouching down so that she was meeting his eyes easily. “Baker Bang’s son was horribly injured and somehow no one knows why this has happened. But they’re putting the blame on you.” He watched as his mother tried to fight back her tears, breaking his young heart in the process. “We’re sending you to the city so that you can stay with my sister, and send you a school where you will be loved rather than hated and feared, okay baby?” 

How was he to say no when his mother was hurting like this? So Hakyeon nodded numbly, trying not to let the tears spill down his cheeks but he was failing miserably, distracting himself instead by helping with the packing, grabbing all the books he thought he would need and puts them in the suitcase with whatever little belongings he had. 

Sitting on the bus to the city hours away, all alone, the events of the past two day kept running though his mind. How quickly things change without you even knowing. One minute he was dreaming about Taekwoon’s shy smile, the next he was on a bus leaving his past behind. 

With one last glance at the diminishing town, he felt his heart break at the thought of never seeing Taekwoon again. He may have been twelve, but Hakyeon knew that Taekwoon was the one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakyeon and Taekwoon catch up.

He had no idea how long he had been standing there, simply staring at Taekwoons face. It could have been a minute or even a century, but somehow it didn't feel enough for him, not when every fibre of his being had missed the man standing in front of him, pining for him. After a decade of only dreaming of Taekwoons face, now that he was here, he needed to drink it all in, like a man finding an oasis in the middle of the desert and finally knowing that this is real, it wasn’t a mirage nor a dream to trick him into quenching his thirst. This was real. Every lash, every pore, every line, it was all real. Even if he had not changed the past ten years, it didn't matter. Everything felt new again. As if he was seeing Taekwoon for the first time once more. All the memories came crashing back to him. The fear he felt that night, followed by the awe that overcame him when he met the elder, and then the longing that resounded deep within him when he waited for the night to fall again. It was as if that fateful night happened only yesterday, with everything still fresh in his mind. 

“Hakyeon?” There it was, that sweet voice that haunted his nights on his bad days, the lullaby that lulls him to sleep on good days. 

Hakyeon had to blink a couple of times to focus back on Taekwoon, as if his train of thought brought him to a faraway destination and never to return. “Ah yes. I’ve invited you in before?” 

“The house has changed ownership.” Realization dawned on him. He didn’t even question how Taekwoon knew about the change, must have been the gossip that float around in a small town like this, especially when someone of interest like Hakyeon was involved. “And you have new wards in place.” 

Right, how could he have been so stupid as to forget that? Hakyeon had been so used to having his normal wards in place that he had set them up here for his peace of mind. It was not as if he could not take care of himself but he felt better with the extra protection, not knowing how safe this place was or if Taekwoon was going to be here to visit him. “Come on in then.” 

Taekwoon wordlessly helped Hakyeon pick up his bags of groceries and followed him through the door like it was expected of him to behave like a gentleman, maybe it was the era that he was born in that had the habit etched onto him. Passing easily through the wards he was pleased that he didn’t resist him or cast him out, Hakyeon must have changed it somehow in between the time from when he pointed it to when he crossed over the threshold. It had been the first time he had entered the house through the front door like an actual person rather than someone lurking in the shadows. He had remembered the moment many nights ago when he tapped on the window pane and a ball of sunshine came bumbling forward with a bright smile on his face, bright enough to not miss the sunshine at that moment in time. That was the last time he saw the boy until he heard from the grapevine that he had come back. He could not believe his eyes when he saw a young man, who radiated warmth and light stopping at the door that he had grown acquainted with over the years. 

“You came back.” Hakyeon stilled at Taekwoon’s voice. He sounded much closer than he thought the elder was, it was almost as if Taekwoon was right behind him. He could not really tell if it was the powers of the undead that was messing with his head or that he was just hyper sensitive and aware about everything Taekwoon did. 

“Yeah I did.” He was afraid to turn around and find out exactly how close Taekwoon was, and what might possibly came after that. “The whole dead parents thing means I had no choice.” 

“But you chose to stay. Why?” Yeah, that was the question wasn’t it? Why did he choose to stay when he could simply come, settle his parents’ affairs and head back to the city? He would not admit it even if you threaten to peel his skin right off his flesh or when death upon him but the biggest reason why was standing silently behind him. He had hoped that Taekwoon would let it go when he entered the living room, and thankfully he did. The sable haired man was observing the place with his cat-like eyes, neither expression nor word escaped his stoic face. 

As seconds slowly ticked to minutes, Hakyeon felt more and more fidgety, like he needed something to break the silence between them but he could not find a word, let alone a topic to start the conversation with. He felt more like an awkward teenager seeing the love of his life rather than a grown man of twenty-two who graduated the top of his class. 

“Do you need something to drink?” Wow Hakyeon, way to be an idiot, offering a vampire a drink. Feeling his face heat up into a dark embarrassed flush he could see Taekwoon fighting to keep the twitching of his lips to a minimum, amusement clear as day in his onyx eyes. 

“Are you offering?” Hakyeon’s head snapped up at the words, he could feel the warmth spreading from his cheek to the rest of his body. Was this embarrassment or was this something else entirely, something like arousal. Giving blood to a vampire could go either way, very clinical or very sexual. And right now, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it to go forward with either possible experience. 

As if he able to read minds, Taekwoon let out a small chuckle, shaking his head to clear his thoughts or to shake the image of Hakyeon plaint in his arms, he wasn’t exactly sure. Choosing instead to sit on the small couch in the living room like he owned it, patting the empty space next to him inviting the human to sit down next to him. “I’ve already fed.” 

Hakyeon let out a breath that he had no idea he was holding until he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Willing himself to calm his heart down and breathing even, he nodded quietly and put his bag of groceries in the kitchen before taking the seat next to Taekwoon. 

The space between them was too far for Hakyeon’s tastes. But there was nothing he could do about it without looking weird in front of the other. Even though their thighs were mere inches away from each other, to Hakyeon it felt like it was a galaxy away. But after being away for so long, hundreds of miles away, a few inches away from him should be no issue, right? 

Oh how wrong he was. In that few silent moments where they looked around the house awkwardly, both focused on keeping their gaze from each other was the most painful moments he had to endure in the recent years. His hands were literally twitching, aching to reach out to touch those cold hands once more, just to see if it felt the same now that his hands weren’t as tiny as it used to be. Did it fit better now? Did the cold temperature still feel jarring to him? 

His speeding train of thought was interrupted when Taekwoon’s voice sounded across the otherwise quiet house. “You went to the city.” 

It was a statement more than a question but there was something in Taekwoon’s voice that made him want to tell the vampire his whole life story from the point where they last met. Because when Hakyeon wanted to do something, he did it and dealt with the consequences after. Hopefully after this, Taekwoon didn’t actually want to remain dead instead being part of the undead. 

“Yeah well, my parents thought that it was safer for me to have some proper training rather than to cause trouble around here.” And when Taekwoon nodded for Hakyeon to continue, he did it without a second thought. “The Academy wasn’t a bad place you know? I was the only special one here but there were a ton of them in the city, y’know? And for the first time I finally fit in. I was good at what I was taught, top of the class every year.” 

He could almost hear Taekwoon mutter “Overachiever” under his breath but he chose to ignore it and pretend that he was simply imagining things. He talked about his roommate, Eunkwang. And how his roommate was an elemental, with the ability to control water. The both of them teaming up to play pranks on the rest of their students in their year. He told Taekwoon about his reasons for being a healer instead of a sorcerer, that he wanted to atone for what he did that night many years ago. 

Taekwoon nodded as Hakyeong rambled, like he understood what the younger one meant by atoning. Magic works in ways that no one can phantom no matter how hard they tried. Most call this phenomenon Karma. Sometimes Karma can be forgiving, forgetting about you when you do something by mistake. Other times it comes back to bite you in the ass even when you’re trying to do something good. Maybe that’s how the term “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” came about. 

He remembered the night where Hakyeon had his hands all bloody and his small body was quaking with fear. He remember the night where he felt the magic rolling off Hakyeon’s body in waves. And even though he didn’t mean for anything back to happen, he had done some really intense magic that day and someone was hurt in the process, while there were other kids who lost some parts of their memory. It was no wonder that Hakyeon wanted to do what he could to appease the bad Karma that he had he had raked up. 

“And besides, potion making is like cooking? A mixture of cooking and chemistry. I like both so naturally, I excel in it.” Somewhere through Hakyeon’s rambling Taekwoon seemed to have drifted off. But no matter, he was giving the darker skinned man his full attention now, watching him as his eyes twinkled in excitement as he talks about the healing properties of mint leaves and how the different kinds of mint leaves had different effects when mixed with an ingredient which he couldn’t recall for the life of him. 

“Is this town still as scared of magic as it used to be?” With that question, Taekwoon turned to Hakyeon, trying to think of a way to answer him. 

“It’s gotten a little better.” Hakyeon stared at Taekwoon, waiting for him to elaborate. “It was a big issue after you left of course. Everyone thought that it was you who hurt the Bang kid.” 

“They weren’t technically wrong.” Hakyeon mumbled in shame, looking down at his hands. 

“But after you left, more of the supernatural came and put down their roots. The shapeshifters came to town and the people here and no choice but to put up with them. There was a healer once, but she was so overwhelmed by the people here that she left.” 

With that, an ungraceful snort came from Hakyeon. “I bet they asked her all kinds of stupid questions.” 

“She also wasn’t very good at what she did.” Taekwoon replied with a shrug rolling off his elegant shoulders. “She messed up often.” 

Maybe that was why everyone in town gave him weird looks when he first came back. The looks of fear was probably from the incident from when he was twelve, but the other looks probably came from undermining him, thinking that he was not good enough for the town, that he couldn’t do what they asked of him and fail them. 

Hakyeon has never failed in life and he was not going to start now. 

-

They spent hours talking about Hakyeon’s life in the city. Or rather, Hakyeon did all the talking and Taekwoon just nodded at the right times and made small sounds to make it seem like he was listening. 

“Anyway, what do you do here? Don’t vampires get bored in the night where there is nothing to do?” At Hakyeon’s question, Taekwoon slowly turned to face him, wondering how much he should reveal.   
“You’re aware of the Conclave?” Hakyeon nodded. “I’m part of it, and I was assigned to this town.” 

“As a reward or a punishment?” Taekwoon was surprised at Hakyeon’s question. Hakyeon was right when he said he was smart, not many would ask such an intelligent question. Sometimes he would wonder himself if he was sent here as a reward for years of service and keeping the peace or as a punishment for his close relationships with the shapeshifters. 

Shapeshifters and the undead have a long history. Everyone from the moment they were born to the day they die knew about the long standing grudge they have since the beginning of time. It had been decades ago when Taekwoon decided to reach out to the shapeshifting community and strike an alliance with them. His group of vampires started hiring shapeshifters as their daywalkers. After all, they were stronger and harder to hurt than humans, which comes in handy whenever things needed to be done. Delicate things. 

Once the Conclave had heard about his alliance, he was sent to this tiny town to watch over for the next hundred years. Punishment because there was nothing to do and he would be bored out of his mind for the next hundred years? Or a reward because he could stay away from vampire politics for the next century, living his life the way he saw fit in this small town until he was reassigned. 

“I’m not exactly sure. But right now, it seems more of a reward than punishment.” At the way Taekwoon was looking at him, Hakyeon was sure that he would never leave this town for as long as he lived.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakyeon meets Hyuk and Wonshik.

Time passed like clockwork since that night Taekwoon appeared at his doorstop. Seconds turned to minutes, which turned to hours. Hours that Hakyeon counted down every time Taekwoon left his house dangerously close to sunrise to where Taekwoon rested for the day until he could lay his eyes on that perfect face once more. 

It had been more than a week since Hakyeon got reacquainted with Taekwoon, and like clockwork, the vampire would turn up at his house the moment he closed his shop for the day, sitting on his couch like he never left in the morning. 

Today, was no different. Hakyeon opened his apothecary as usual. Business had been picking up a little since the first day he set up shop. He still received curious stares from neighbours or people who just happened to walk past and wonder what his shop was about. Every day he would receive a customer or two, usually a housewife would come in asking for a burn salve or a high school would stumble in asking for a hangover cure. Why would today be any different? Except today he had a group of giggling girls asking for love potions. 

Hakyeon thinks of himself as someone patient. He was a healer, patience was a prerequisite. Sick people tend to have shorter tempers after all. He had all the training he could receive about people in pain, even family members who were anxious. But all the training he went through did not prepare him for a gaggle of girls whispering behind their hands asking him about home-made love potions that they had read on the internet. Despite him telling them that there were no such thing as love potions, they had insisted that he sold them the ingredients that they had on the list. Scanning through the list he fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

“You could get these ingredients from the market.” Hakyeon tried to keep his tone light, but he was sure he was failing miserably when one of the girls were frowning at him. 

“But you should have special ones. They work better if we buy from you won’t we?” The girl who he assumed to be the leader by the way she crossed her arms over her chest and standing like she owned the place. 

Hakyeon really should not complain, he should be thankful for any business that come his way. But common household items like jasmine and vanilla beans? They could have gotten them from a random shop and the owner would be none the wiser. With a soft martyred sigh, he made the executive decision to give in to the girls. Since they thought that the ingredients were special, he was sure that he could charge a premium price for it. Since there was no love potion that has been documented to work, he was pretty certain that The Powers That Be wouldn’t fault him for him and add this to his karma.

The moment the girls were out of his shop he was ready to declare himself a saint. The girls had the audacity to haggle prices when they were the ones who sought him out, and despite him telling them that there were no such things as a love potion, they proceeded to call him a fraud and who knew that kids these days have such colourful language? He was on the verge of closing the shop when the bell on the counter rang, breaking the silence that surrounded him. It was in that moment he knew that today would be different. 

“Sorry to bother you, but do you have a cure for a hangover?” The voice got Hakyeon turning to face the counter. He had sounded young, but Hakyeon was taken aback by how wise those eyes looked. He was just a little bit taller than Hakyeon with hair of midnight blue. And if the man who spoke was midnight, his companion was twilight with different shake of pink and purple in his hair. “We heard that you’re the guy to look for.” Turning his gaze back to the dark haired male, Hakyeon could only manage a small nod. The magic that he could feel from the both of them was subtle, as if they were trying to hide it but it was still there. But still on the high his temper gave him, Hakyeon threw all caution to the wind. 

“Usually sleep and water would help with a hangover.” This was it. Hakyeon was sure that they would murder him right there and then. 

Instead, he was pleasantly surprised when the young man laughed sheepishly. “We usually would. But my friend here,” He pointed to the purple haired man who was next to him, swaying lightly on his feet and with bags under his eyes. “Took some kind of weird alcohol meant for shapeshifters and he really needs to be sober.” 

Shapeshifter. Hakyeon could feel his heart trying to pound out of his chest at the word. Even though he had dealt with them back when he was in school, their personalities usually differ from the different forms they change into, some were more vicious and more unpredictable than the others. And right now, he was not sure if he was ready to deal with one attacking him if he were to make one wrong move. He knew his temper would be the death of him one day, he just didn’t think he would die so young. 

As if sensing his fear, the dark haired male gave Hakyeon a small timid smile. “You don’t have to worry about Wonshik. He’s house trained.” At his words, Hakyeon let out a small nervous chuckle, feeling some of the tension ease out of him. 

“I will need to know what he is so that I won’t give him something that could kill him.” He tried to inject some of his earlier sass into his words but he could feel that it was not working as well as he would have liked it too, and from the expression of the man across him, he knew that it was not as effective as he had hoped that it would be. 

“Wonshik is a wolf. Who looks like a Doberman in real life.” Hakyeon could only nod at the words and headed out back to his workroom to get the necessary ingredients, checking and double checking the items that he took to make sure none of them would interact with each other and end up killing someone who just wanted a hangover cure. 

Hakyeon could hear the hushed whispers between his two patrons, though one voice was notably much lower than the other, he couldn’t make out what they were saying even if he tried. And it wasn’t trying very hard, instead he was concentrating on concocting a proper and potent potion for the hungover wolf. 

Coming back to the front after he was done, Hakyeon said nothing then the two strangers fell silent almost immediately and looked up at him. Handing the pastel haired man a small glass of clear blue liquid he told the wolf to drink up, placing a bottle of water on the table soon after. “It’ll taste like crap so finish the bottle of water too. 

The man known as Wonshik eyed the glass sceptically and sniffed at it, surprised that it was not offending to the senses like he was expecting it to be. Under his friend’s urging he took the glass and brought it to his lips and drank it all in one go, his chest heaving with violent coughs at how vile the liquid tasted and he scrambled to open the bottle of water that was offered to him and he quickly took big gulps of it to wash it all down. “That was disgusting.” 

The wolf’s deep voice reverberates across the shop, making Hakyeon take a step back how the power that the voice carried travelled across the shop. It took him a few heartbeats before he could put a proper sentence together. “Yeah, I kind of did tell you so.” 

Hakyeon didn’t know what he was expecting, probably having the shapeshifter change forms and pouncing over the counter to tear his throat out. But what he didn’t expect was a deep laughter resounding across the small shop. “I like this one.” 

Hakyeon’s eyebrows quirked up in surprise. He clearly wasn’t expecting for a shapeshifter to be so friendly after being talked down to, especially one nursing a hangover, that tends to put anyone in an awful mood, let alone someone with more of an animal instinct than a human one. 

“Yeah? Me too.” Midnight quipped. Yes, that was what Hakyeon had named him in his head. No need to ask for names when they were just one time customers, hopefully never to be seen again. “How much is it? We really like to stay and chat but we have some place to be at the moment.” 

After informing them of the price he waved them goodbye, silently hoping that he would never have to see them again. It was never good business when shapeshifters patronize a shop like his, it makes normal humans more wary of coming in and business would suffer more than it already is. Although those with enhanced abilities could generally pay better, be it money or ingredients that only they could acquire or provide, was it worth sacrificing his karma for? 

With these thoughts weighing heavy on his mind he went about doing his usual routine of closing up the shop, making sure that everything was where they should be and well accounted for, he headed over to the door to flip the “Open” sign over to tell everyone that he was closed for the day before he locked the door with a soft but resounding click. Even though he had only two customers for the day it was more than enough to make him feel exhausted. 

Mustering whatever energy he had left he trudged up to his tiny apartment to get dinner going. Like clockwork, the sun would set while hid meal was getting ready and Taekwoon would somehow appear in his living room, presumably though the windows that Hakyeon conveniently left open for him. And like clockwork he would pretend that he was surprised that Taekwoon was there in his living room as though he had not been doing the exact same thing for the past week. Hakyeon knew it was silly to pretend that he was pleasantly surprised by the visits, especially when he knew that Taekwoon knew. But the amused expression that Taekwoon had on his face every time that happened sends a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering around his insides, and that was a feeling that Hakyeon wanted to hold on to for a long as he possibly could. 

With his bowl of instant noodles with steam rising from it secure in his arms, he walked over to the coffee table only to see Taekwoon standing there instead of lounging on his sofa like he usually does, which means something was wrong. 

“I will not be able to stay tonight.” Oh. So that was why he was standing instead of sitting. Hakyeon tried his best to keep his disappointment from his face as he set his bowl of food down on the table and he turned his attention on the vampire, who was currently looking at him to intensely for his comfort level. 

“You could have just sent a text. Do vampires not know the use of technology?” Hakyeon was almost proud of himself for sounding as nonchalant as he could, as though the thought of him spending the night alone made him feel somewhat empty inside and he was already missing the other person in the room even before he left. 

“I know. I just wanted to give you something to remember me by when I’m gone. Even for a night.” Hakyeon glanced up at the taller male, his heart was picking up speed with every step that was taken closer to him until their noses were almost touching. If Taekwoon could breathe, Hakyeon was sure that he would be inhaling the air that the other exhaled. A few heartbeats later, or a few hundred at the rate Hakyeon’s heart was going, he felt something cold against his lips. And before he could register what was going on, Taekwoon pulled away and left the apartment without another word or sound, leaving Hakyeon rooted to the ground with a dumbfounded look on his face. It was their first kiss together and Hakyeon didn’t even know it happened until it was too late. 

Taekwoon may have died once, but for that stunt, he was going to experience death all over again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the plot thickens

Maybe to say that Taekwoon would be the dead one was a mistake on Hakyeon’s part. Especially when he was the one opening his shop, running on nothing but pure adrenaline and no sleep. He had spent the better part of the night taking apart the kiss and putting it back together like a thousand pieced puzzle, trying to figure out what it was. Was it a friendly goodbye kiss that was customary during the time when Taekwoon was alive? Not that he knew when that was and there was nothing more to it. Or was it a kiss that promised more or something else? 

Hakyeon was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the ding of the bell when the door of his shop opened, signalling a potential customer. It was only when the fresh smell of flowers drifting to his nose that he realized that he was not alone. Turning around so quickly that it almost made him dizzy, almost. He was greeted with the familiar sight of one of the customers from yesterday, the seemingly normal human with blue hair so dark that it seemed almost black. 

“Oh. I didn’t hear you come in.” It seemed to be the only logical thing for Hakyeon to say at that moment. 

“Yeah, not like the bell didn’t ring when I opened the door or anything.” A teasing tone lit up Midnight’s voice. Hakyeon still didn’t manage to get his name after their encounter the day before. 

“Ah yes, sorry about that. I was kind of in my own world.” Hakyeon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, making his way over to the counter so that he could better greet his guest. 

Upon getting closer, it was when he saw the bouquet of flowers nestled in the bend of Midnight’s arms. A surprising mixture of moonflowers and dahlias wrapped in crepe paper. “You have a date tonight? Need a love potion?” 

Midnight blinked in confusion at Hakyeon for a couple of moments before it finally clicked in his head and he bursts out laughing. “Oh no. No, no, no. This isn’t for me or a date.” 

“It’s actually for the owner of this shop.” It was Hakyeon’s turn to be confused. He wasn’t back in town long enough to have someone sending him flowers. And yet, here he was. Staring at an odd mix of flowers that a normal suitor would normally send, he would have expected roses or something. Instead, he got flowers that could be potentially poisonous and the colours don’t even match. 

“That would be me?” Hakyeon muttered after a few moments in thought. His hands reaching out to relieve the other of the bouquet, bringing it close to his nose to inhale the mixture of scents. “Thank you.” 

“Oh don’t thank me. I was just running an errand.” Now that just confused Hakyeon even more. Just when he thought that it was a gift for helping Midnight and his friend the day before, he was wrong. “My boyfriend’s boss asked me to do this as a favour since he couldn’t deliver it himself.” 

The wheels in Hakyeon’s head started going into overdrive. Boss? Boyfriend? What on earth is happening right now? 

As if sensing Hakyeon’s distress and confusion, Midnight cleared his throat trying to get the other to snap out of it and pay him some attention. “Taekwoon asked me to send you these.” 

Oh. Now that explained everything. 

“So you work for Taekwoon?” Hakyeon tried to fight the flush that was creeping up his face, quickly turning around to look for an empty vase so that Midnight would not see it. 

“My boyfriend does. I just help to run errands if they need to be done during the day. Like sending flowers.” Midnight supplied easily, resting his chin on his propped up arm while he looked at Hakyeon with an amused glint in his eyes. 

“Ah. Well thank you…” 

“Hyuk. My name is Hyuk.” Hakyeon’s smile grew a little wider now that Midnight had a name. 

“Thank you, Hyuk. These flowers are lovely.” Hyuk simply shrugged in reply while Hakyeon arranged the flowers in a simple vase. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Hyuk assured the other, giving him a warm smile to let him know that it was no big deal. “I have to go now. But I’ll see you around?” 

Hakyeon gave him a firm nod and a bright smile in return. “Please do come back if you need a remedy or two!” 

With a small wave Hakyeon was left alone to his flowers and thoughts. Maybe Taekwoon wouldn’t be so dead after all. 

-

“Are you sure?” Taekwoon asked the dark haired man before him, holding his gaze for a moment before his eyes flickered down to the papers in his hand. Pictures. Pictures of dead vampires around town with their blood completely drained out. 

Taekwoon fought the urge to curse out loud. Not that it mattered anyway, it was only him and his most trusted people in the room. With Jaehwan, his right hand man looking over his shoulder trying to get a better view of the pictures, and Hongbin who provided the images, there was no one else around that he had to hold his tongue back for. But it was years and years of training and politics that had him keep his poker face on. Not even the slight tremble of his voice which he imagined was there betrayed how he truly felt about the matter at hand. Vampires were dying. And they were dying in his town. 

“It was the third one this week.” Hongbin muttered under his breath, too soft for human ears, but no one in the room had been one for a few centuries at least. “The rest of them are scared. Even the Weres are scared too. Afraid that they would be next.” 

“But their blood aren’t as precious, or as powerful.” Jaehwan spoke up, moving to straighten up his back, face scrunching up into a grimace as his bones cracked softly from being in a certain position for too long. ”What is the use of their blood to be honest?” 

“To infect other people and turn them into shapeshifters too I would assume.” Hongbin muttered as he took a seat across Taekwoon’s desk, looking up to see that the man across him still had a frown on the otherwise stoic face. “It makes no sense for another vampire to take their blood. Nor would a shapeshifter take their blood because it makes them sick.”

“Which leaves us with the humans.” Taekwoon finally ended his silence, setting the disturbing images back down on his hardwood desk. “The question is, which human is willing to go through all that to hunt a vampire down and kill them?” 

“We’ve been here ten years, how is it that this is suddenly happening?” Jaehwan paced around the barely lit room, not that any of them needed the light anyway. “What’s changed recently in this town?” 

“The witch.” Hongbin quipped, inspecting his nails like none of this was of importance to him. But the other two vampires know that this was bothering him as much as it was bothering them. Or else he would have gone and dealt with this on his own as Taekwoon’s enforcer. 

“It’s not him.” Taekwoon was quick to shoot that down. There was no way Hakyeon was behind this. 

“Oh? And how would you know?” Hongbin challenged in that deep voice of his, an eyebrow arched in question on his chiselled face. 

“A little bird told me that the witch is where our dear Taekwoon has been disappearing to lately.” There was no mistaking that Hyuk had already told Jaehwan all that after Taekwoon had ask the daywalker to do that particular favour for him. “And that little witch was the one who cured Wonshik of that terrible hangover that no one knows how he got himself into.” 

Hongbin bristled in his seat, not liking the fact that Jaehwan knew more about Wonshik than he did. “I see.” 

“But it’s also suspicious that all this started happening after the witch came back. Don’t you think?” 

Taekwoon could only nod. He hated it when Jaehwan was right. And he was pretty sure Hongbin had the exact same sentiments as him. Jaehwan had his moments, but neither one of them liked to acknowledge them because it gave him an even bigger ego than he already has. 

“We should keep this between us, and investigate this further.” Taekwoon suggested. To which, the other two readily agreed. There was no need to create alarm when there was barely any information for them to go on. “Now that we’re done here. I have other business to attend to.”

Taekwoon got up from his seat with a practiced ease, ignoring the way Jaehwan tried to hide a snicker behind his hand or how Hongbin narrowed his eyes just a little when he made his way out of his office.

-

With a flick of his wrist, Hakyeon finally ended the day by locking up and pulling down the shutters to cover the windows, effectively shutting him away from the rest of the outside world. It was times like this that he feels safe. Like he was slowly building up a home here. Where he didn’t have to deal with weird customers who wanted ingredients that he was pretty sure that were made up. Where he did not have to deal with the judgement of people who think that this town was too pure for magic, or maybe it was him that the town was too pure for. 

The thought made Hakyeon scoff. The town had shapeshifters roaming around freely and vampires stalking the night but he was the one that they were throwing dirty looks at? With an annoyed huff he walked over to where his flowers were sitting pretty in the vase. He had spent the better part of the afternoon pouring over his books after Hyuk had left. Trying his best to determine the particular species of moonflower, wanting to know if it was the poisonous kind and if any research had been done on it. He had almost got to his answer when he noticed how hard it had gotten outside. Time sure flies when you’re having fun. Deciding that it would be best to continue his research upstairs where it was more comfortable, he also belatedly realize that he had barely anything to eat 

Grabbing his thick books on magical properties of flowers, he slowly trudged up the stairs. The lack of sleep he had was starting to get to him too, the tiredness slowly seeping into his bones. Hugging his books to his chest, he walked into his apartment and straight into soft cashmere. Be still his beating heart. Taekwoon was here. 

“You should look at where you’re going.” 

“Why do I need to when you’re here to catch me?” Hakyeon wanted to die. His whole being wanted to shrivel up in embarrassment for saying something like that. The want for sweet, sweet death quickly became a need when he heard Taekwoon chuckling, and with a soft whine he buried his face even more into the softness of Taekwoon’s sweater. 

“Did you like the flowers I sent you?” Taekwoon muttered into Hakyeon’s hair, gently rubbing his back while he moved to lead the human to the couch so that the both of them could settle in it. 

“I did.” Hakyeon pulled away so that he could sit comfortable next to Taekwoon. “They were beautiful. And they smelled nice too, thank you.” 

“Good. I heard that they’re good for potions. And they grow well in the dark.” Wrapping an arm around the human, Taekwoon pulled him a little closer so that Hakyeon could rest against him. 

“I didn’t know you had a hobby like gardening. I thought you would have no time for that.” Hakyeon teased softly as he moved his head to rest comfortably on Taekwoon’s shoulder. 

“That would be Jaehwan’s hobby. I just got Hyuk to steal the flowers” The gentleness of Taekwoons voice made Hakyeon smile. It seemed that Jaehwan and Hyuk were people dear to him, but not in a way that made Hakyeon jealous. Somehow, deep inside him he knew that Taekwoon didn’t think of them the way that he thought of Hakyeon. 

“So was that kiss a platonic kind of kiss or did you mean it?” Now Hakyeon was ready to murder himself and his lack of a filter. And his horrible sense of timing. 

“Hm? What kiss were you talking about?” Hakyeon could see the way Taekwoon’s dark eyes lighted up with amusement, silently teasing him. 

“The one you suddenly dropped on me when you popped by yesterday?” Hakyeon was starting to doubt himself a little. Did he really experience it yesterday or was it something that he imagined? Was that why Taekwoon was so amused by him? 

“I don’t really remember it. Maybe you should remind me.” Narrowing his eyes at Taekwoon, Hakyeon reached out to smack the vampire’s shoulder with one of his research books. 

“Forget it. You can sit here and wreck your brain to see what you remember while I make dinner” Hakyeon was eager to escape this conversation, already embarrassed at how he seemed to be the only one thinking about the kiss. 

Setting his books down on the coffee table the tanned human got up from his couch and headed over to the kitchen to quickly heat up some leftovers. Despite being embarrassed and annoyed, he didn’t want to be away from Taekwoon longer than necessary. Not when they have so little time to spend with each other as it is. So taking out the soup from his fridge, he places it on his gas stove and heated it up while he threw his packet of instant rice into the microwave. Dinner settled in minutes. 

Grabbing his mittens from above the kitchen sink to take the hot pot of soup, bringing it to the dining table only to see Taekwoon seated at the head of the table like he belonged there. 

“I didn’t know vampires ate dinner.” Hakyeon said as he turned around to grab his rice. 

“We don’t. But I thought that I might watch you eat.” Taekwoon blinked up at him, as if the words that the vampire just uttered didn’t sound creepy at all. 

“But you’ve fed?” To which, Taekwoon nodded in response. Taking his seat next to the vampire, Hakyeon picked up his spoon to scoop himself a mouthful of rice and got started on his dinner. 

“What do you know about vampire blood?” Hakyeon looked up at Taekwoon when the vampire broke the silence, wondering where this sudden question came from. 

Setting his spoon back down on the table, Hakyeon slowly organized his thoughts before he started speaking. “Vampire blood… There’s not much known about it. In the academy, they told us that it was very volatile. Depending on how you obtained your sample. It has to be given willingly or else there’s consequences. 

“It is said that the blood has healing qualities. That it makes humans stronger, heal faster, more indestructible? Like they can prolong life? Because of the magic that powers the undead has a similar effect on the living? If it was given to a human willingly then probably the human would stop aging and become a little stronger. Like an unofficial Fountain of Youth.” 

Taekwoon nodded lightly at Hakyeon’s words, the younger one being right so far. “And if it was taken unwillingly?” 

“Then the balance is off.” Hakyeon replied easily. “Instead of a long life, they get the power. But then they die faster. Like their bodies fail? So they need another hit of the blood to get them the power to heal but it doesn’t last long.” 

“They become animals.” Taekwoon mumbles softly, as though it was something that he had personally witnessed. “So far gone that even some of the shapeshifters get offended if you call them animals.” 

Pushing his bowl of rice away from him, Hakyeon suddenly lost his appetite. “Was this why you had to leave yesterday?” 

Taekwoon only nodded, so Hakyeon took it as his cue to continue. “Someone out there is killing vampires?”

Another nod. “Did you think I was the one behind this? Was that why you came over to ask me all these questions?” 

Taekwoon could only shake his head. “No. I didn’t think you did it. I guess I was curious as to what you knew when it comes to this. And if anyone has approached you to make potions with blood as an ingredient.” 

Oh. 

Hakyeon didn’t know if he should be flattered or offended. To deal with vampire blood, especially in potions was something very highly dangerous, and very highly illegal. It takes someone with great skill to even think of attempting something like that. He had heard back in school, whisperings from other students that if you know what you’re doing, the ultimate healing potion could be made using vampire blood. Despite being a healer, Hakyeon had no interest to attempt something like that. Not when karma works in mysterious ways. He already had a strike against him from a decade ago. There was no way he was going to add on to that. 

Having lost his appetite after that conversation he got up from his seat, pushing his chair back as he cleared the dining table, ignoring the looks he was getting from Taekwoon. Somewhere in the corner of his mind, Hakyeon registers the feeling that he was experiencing as hurt. From the thought that Taekwoon would even doubt him and think that he would be dealing in vampire blood. Granted, it was overthinking in his part. But somehow, despite their short time together, he wanted the vampire to trust him completely. Like how he had trusted Taekwoon all those years ago, following him into the dark. 

As if sensing Hakyeon’s emotions, Taekwoon got up from his seat as silently as possible, making his way to the human who was busying himself with washing the dishes, probably as a way to keep his hands busy. Stepping behind Hakyeon, Taekwoon snaked his arms around the younger’s waist, burying his nose against the beating pulse in Hakyeon’s next and inhaled the sweet scent of blood coursing through his veins. Taekwoon could feel Hakyeon stiffen lightly against him. He could smell the sudden spike of fear off the human before Hakyeon realized that Taekwoon of no intention of hurting him and relaxed into the embrace. Making Taekwoon smile at how his warmth radiated to his own cold body. 

“Stay the night. To make up for yesterday’s lost time.” Hakyeon turned in the embrace to face Taekwoon, his eyes roaming over the porcelain complexion in search of any kind of emotion, trying to gauge if the other wanted to stay or not. 

A few nervous heartbeats had passed before Taekwoon finally nodded, agreeing to spend the night. “I hope I won’t burn when the sun comes up. 

“I promise you I won’t let anything happen to you during the day. I don’t intend to open the shop tomorrow anyway.” Hakyeon beamed up at him. And in the moment, Taekwoon felt that he didn’t need to miss the warmth of the sun on his skin. The brightness of Hakyeon’s smile was more than enough to warm his cold, unbeating heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakyeon gets a visit from Hyuk, again.

Hakyeon took his time to get ready for bed. There was no rush after all, no need to wake up early to get the shop open, no need to go through the morning rush with housewives to get last minute ingredients for his potions. His sleep debt could be paid by sleeping in a little longer in the morning. And so he decided to pamper himself a little, putting in just a little more effort to his skincare routine by putting on a face mask. After all, he wouldn’t want Taekwoon to wake up to a face full of wrinkles in the evening. And if Taekwoon was wondering what was taking him so long, the vampire didn’t say a word, opting to remain as silent and still as the day his heart stopped beating, his eyes following Hakyeon as the healer walked back and forth the tiny apartment looking ridiculous with a white sheet clinging onto his face.

It felt like a couple of hours later when Hakyeon finally proclaimed that he was ready for bed, pulling the covers off the bed in his matching pajamas, he climbed in and patted the empty space next to him.

“Come on, the sun is rising soon. You wouldn’t want to wake up with a sore neck.”

“Vampires don’t get sore necks.” Taekwoon muttered under his breath. The thought of vampires having any form of bodily discomfort from sleep sounded preposterous to him. Stopping at the edge of the bed he looks down at Hakyeon. “Maybe you have something for me to sleep in?”

Hakyeon widens his eyes in realization, mentally smacking himself in for forehead for being a bad host and forgetting about getting Taekwoon something to sleep in. Of course the vampire wouldn’t sleep in his pristine shirt and neatly pressed pants. Pushing himself out of bed, even though his body was already starting to relax into the softness, he walked over to his modest closet and pulled out a simple t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, holding it up for the vampire to give his approval.

“This will do.” And if it didn’t suit his tastes, Hakyeon didn’t see any of it on Taekwoon’s face, who simply took the clothes and headed to the bathroom to change.

Hakyeon must have been more tired than he thought as he was dozing off by the time Taekwoon joined him in bed, pulling the covers over the both of them. He knew that it wasn’t warmth that drew him into Taekwoon’s embrace, since the vampire’s body was anything but that. But when his long arms were wrapped around Hakyeon’s body, he couldn’t help but to let out a soft sigh of content.

Ever since he came back from the capital, never once had he thought that he had come back home. This was a place for him to set up shop. A place filled with memories. Memories of his parents, memories of people scorning him and shunning him. But most importantly, memories of Taekwoon who made him feel safe when everything was falling apart. And maybe, just maybe. He could now call this home. As long as Taekwoon was here with him he was more than willing to build his home here.

-

Something was wrong. Something felt wrong. The though came up to him as he slowly blinked awake, looking at the man next to him.

Dead. He was simply dead. The slight flush on his cheeks were gone and now it was just a ghostly shade of pale. He didn’t move, nor did he stir when Hakyeon tried shaking him awake. Even when Hakyeon tried to lift Taekwoon’s arm up it simply dropped back down to bed like dead weight.

Something was starting to bubble deep within Hakyeon. Something cold and unpleasant, like fear creeping up his neck and slowly suffocating him with it. Was this supposed to happen? Did Hakyeon accidentally kill his almost lover in his sleep?

His hands were trembling but that was the last thing on his mind now. Hakyeon ran his shaking fingers through his hair as he tried to rake his brain for answers, trying to sift through information that was stored in the recesses of his brain which was filed under “I didn’t think it was important while I was in school”.

He was sure that it was one of the lessons that was covered in magical theory. Why did he not pay attention during the class back when he was in The Academy? Forcing himself to get out of bed he stumbled over to his bookshelf, his fingertips trailing down the spines of the books that were stacked haphazardly on the barely put together furniture until he found one of his old textbooks and he skilfully pulls it out from under the stacks of other books, hoping that none of it would topple over before the pages fan out to the section he was looking for. With furrowed eyebrows his eyes flicker back and forth the blur of words that he was trying to read and digest.

_“… The magic that brings the undead to come to life originates from the sun, but the power of the sun is too great for any single vampire to harness in current records, which is why vampires burn in the sun as there is too much magic for the vessel to handle. Vampires come rise with the power of the moon that reflects the sunlight, making the magic more acceptable for them to animate their bodies and making them one of the undead.”_

Oh. He should have known information such if he actually paid attention during classes and not give himself a mini heart attack when he woke up in the morning with a dead Taekwoon by his side. Turning his head back to the bed to look at the lifeless body in his bed, he sighs softly. Getting up from the ground from when he was too scared and his legs seemed to have failed to work when he was looking for his book, he headed over to the windows to make sure the no sunlight would seep through the curtains. He didn’t need another heart attack if he was not careful and he came back to Taekwoon being burn to a crisp.

Getting ready for his day ahead, Hakyeon shuffles about his small apartment to clean it up, so that Taekwoon didn’t have to wake up to an even bigger mess that he had been witnessing the past week, stealing occasional glances at Taekwoon, Hakyeon wondered if the loud sounds that he made while cleaning were enough to wake the dead. Apparently not. By the time he was one with his chores, it was well past lunch time. Hakyeon figured that he could spend the rest of his day getting his next shipment of potions ready for the week ahead. Business had not been stellar since he came back to this small town, but thankfully he still had a long list of loyal customers back in the city that he had to cater to and that helped greatly with his day to day expenses. Grabbing a scrap piece of paper, Hakyeon scribbled down a note for Taekwoon in case the latter woke up while he was busy over his cauldron and suffered a panic attack like he did that morning.

Hakyeon snorted at himself, somewhat amused at the dramatics that he had put himself through in the morning before he left his apartment and headed down to the shop to go about the rest of his day.

-

A soft whine sounded across the small room. Hakyeon didn’t know if he should curse himself or to laugh at himself. After so many years, he should have known better than to rub his eyes after dealing with ginger root. But no, he was behaving like a total amateur, which was why he was dealing with the burning sensation in his eyes with tears threatening to flow down his tanned cheeks. He was so close to throwing a tantrum and stomping his feet childishly in the comfort of his own shop when he heard a knock on the door of his shop, making Hakyeon frown a little at the small intrusion of his private time.

Grabbing a damp towel he wiped his hands the best he could so that it wouldn’t smell like the ginger root that he was dealing with earlier and headed over to the door to open it, only to reveal the smiling face of Hyuk waving back at him.

“Hello! I thought I would drop by for a visit since I had nothing to do. I didn’t realize you were closed though.” Hyuk explained as his hands dropped back down to his side, his smile faded a little to show the slight uncertainty on his seemingly young face, as if he felt like he was intruding something.

Hakyeon was quick to change that. “Oh no! I was just preparing some potions for the week. You’re uh… You’re welcome to join me if you like. A helping hand would be great.”

The uncertainty that Hyuk had on his face earlier had melted away easily, making him smile like a child who has seen snow for the first time and he makes his way into the shop with Hakyeon leading him into the back room.

“I’m sorry it’s a mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” Hakyeon muttered as he tried to make the place a little more presentable for the unexpected guest, putting aside things that he did not need any longer to make more space for the other.

“Oh. No need to clean up because of me. Trust me, Wonshik is a walking tornado and nothing you can do would make you messier than he is.” Hyuk joked softly while he moved to help Hakyeon clean up the place. “If you need help, let me know. Being jobless and aimless leaves me a lot of time on my hands.”

“Well. If you put it that way, maybe you can help me prepare the ingredients for my potions?” Hakyeon gave Hyuk a hopeful look. He had no idea he had so much that needed to be done until he saw his order list earlier. Since the weather was getting colder many people were falling sick everywhere and they needed to stock up on potions to keep their bodies strong for the harsh winter ahead and Hakyeon was having trouble getting all the potions ready to ship out in a couple of days. So he was thankful for any help he could get.

“Sure, just let me know what you need me to do?” Hyuk agreed with an easy smile, heading over to the sink towards the back of the room to wash his hands so that he could get ready to help the healer.

With simple instructions for Hyuk, the both of them got around to working in a comfortable silence. Hakyeon was amazed at how easily both of them got to working together in such a short amount of time. With Hyuk chopping up and preparing the necessary ingredients and Hakyeon overseeing the brewing in the different cauldrons that he had set up in his work space, the potions were done in almost half the time if he were to do everything by himself. Hakyeon was sure that if his finances had allowed it, he would have hired the other without any qualms. But business has been a little slow, there was no way he could afford hiring someone else even on a part-time basis.

“So…” Hyuk broke the silence, as well as Hakyeon’s train of thought shamelessly, with a playful grin on his face, which made Hakyeon slightly suspicious as to where this was going. ”Taekwoon didn’t head home before sunrise.”

Hakyeon’s hands stilled. So this was why he joined the healer on this Sunday afternoon. “He’s… Sleeping? I don’t know what you call it, upstairs.”

“You mean he died?” Hakyeon flinched visibly at the word, to which Hyuk lets out a soft laugh. “If it’s any consolation, the sex makes up for him dying every morning in your bed.”

The healer sputtered loudly, fed red as he tries to dispel Hyuk of any misunderstanding, his hands waving wildly about. “No! I mean, no. We didn’t… We uh. We just slept.”

Hyuk was laughing hysterically at this point, with this arms around his stomach to try to ease the ache from laughing too much at the way the healer reacted to his words.

“Yah! We seriously just slept!” The healer was on the verge of whining, but his pride kept him at bay. Watching the other close to actually rolling onto the floor with laughter, his lower lip stuck out in a petulant pout as he waited the situation to calm down.

“You should have seen your face though.” Hyuk barely managed to wheeze his words out. “As much as I believe you, this is more fun.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Hakyeon stared down at the other person in the room in what he had hoped to be a menacing manner. But he know that he had failed when Hyuk continued to chuckle under his breath when he picked up his knife once more to start prepping the ingredients.

“You just learn to deal with it though.” Hyuk muttered softly. “It gets easier day by day. And soon you realize that you don’t seek warmth in your bed anymore, not when the cold is more comforting. Knowing that they live and die every single day next to you.”

The healer kept quiet, taking in the words that the dark haired male had just said. Will he ever get used to it? Will he look forward to have Taekwoon’s cold arms around him as slept? When his eyes opened when magic breathed life into him and the first person he looked at was Hakyeon? Was that what he wanted for himself for the rest of his life?

“How… how long have you been with your partner?” Hakyeon had hoped that he did not intrude on the other’s private life. But after Hyuk talked about how he dealt with it made Hakyeon curious to know if he had a vampire lover as well.

“Oh? It’s been a while since someone asked me that.” Hyuk set his knife down, taking a moment to think before his gaze flickered up to the healer, warm and fond when he thought about his lover. “Close to four hundred years now I think? I was born in the Joseon era. And that was where he found me. The rest they say, is history.”

Four hundred years? Hakyeon’s eyes widened at the new information. That was a really long time to be with someone. Was their love stronger or were they simply together out of familiarity at this point? But the way Hyuk’s eyes softened when he talked about his lover, it was clear that the feelings were still going strong.

“How..” Hakyeon started, but Hyuk held a hand up to stop him.

“How do we last that long?” Hakyeon could only nod at Hyuk’s words. “I honestly have no idea though. We, the both of us, take it day by day. And days turn into years and years turn into centuries. And that’s how we ended up here.

“And I know your next question is if I regret any of this. Truth be told, there are times where I do. I had to send my family and friends into the afterlife over and over again. But if I had a choice, I would still choose Jaehwan again. As much as he chooses to live and die next to me, I choose to be with him every day as well. That’s how it works. It’s not easy, but it works.”

Hakyeon bites down on his lower lip, carefully listening to what Hyuk had told him, trying to decide for himself if this was what he wanted for himself as well.

“Hey.” Hyuk reached out for the healer’s hands and held them in his warm ones. “You don’t have to think too much about it. Taekwoon would never do anything that you’re not comfortable with. Or else he would have taken you to bed a long time ago.”

Hakyeon blushed darkly at the other’s teasing, taking back his own hand with a small pout. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? The sun is setting soon.”

With a smile, Hyuk took it as his cue to leave. Giving Hakyeon a grin accompanied with a dramatic bow he bid farewell, but not before promising a visit the next day to help him out. And before Hakyeon could protest, Hyuk was already gone.

With a soft sigh he looks down at his work space, with ingredients all bottled up and his potions cooled down and ready to be stored in bottles, he got back to work with a silent reminder to invite Hyuk over the next time he had to brew a large batch of potions. Somehow after the chat with Hyuk he felt might lighter and his mind clearer, work had finished faster than he expected to.

The sun was close to dipping over the horizon into darkness when Hakyeon was finally done with his potions, all labelled and ready for shipment. Wiping his hands on the table cloth, he made his way back up to his cosy apartment only to find Taekwoon sitting on his bed, the covers polled around his waist and Hakyeon couldn’t help but feel the warmth spread across his chest. Maybe this was what Hyuk meant, to have someone choose you every day. Maybe this was how Hyuk had managed to live as long as he did.

Walking over to the bed, Hakyeon’s lips curved up into a small smile when Taekwoon wordlessly held his hand out for the healer to take. Lacing their fingers together, Hakyeon sat on the edge while the vampire wrapped his arms around the human, pressing his cold lips to the warm skin of Hakyeon’s cheek.

“I was thinking I could order food and we could stay in? Turn on the TV and watch some sappy romance drama?” Hakyeon suggested with a soft giggle, pulling back to see what his almost lover would have to say about the suggestion.

Rolling his eyes at the suggestion he lets out a soft groan and he tries to go back under the covers, but Hakyeon kept his arms wound tightly around him to keep him from going under.

“Fine. But know that this is not by choice.” Chuckling softly, Hakyeon scoffed playfully at Taekwoon’s words.

“We both know that’s not true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyuk and Jaehwan backstory, yes or no?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakyeon has a dinner date.

Hyuk’s presence around the shop had been a norm about a week ago. Since the first time he showed up to help Hakyeon with potion brewing, he had shown up steadily everyday just after Hakyeon opens the shop to help around with whatever Hakyeon needed, no questions asked. Something that Hakyeon was secretly grateful for. Ever since the news of Hakyeon leaving the city had spread, more and more orders had been pouring in, people wanting to stock up on healing brews and salves just in case. Especially with the festive season around the corner, housewives tend to get burns on their hands easily and teenagers get a little vainer and they want scars and blemishes to vanish, while business owners needed that extra burst of energy during the rush. The kind of burst Hakyeon wished he had right about now. Thankfully, he had Hyuk to help him with whatever he needed. Even the locals in the town were getting wind of Hakyeon’s popularity that every now and then a new customer would come into the shop to ask for a potion or a salve that Hakyeon had to take constant breaks from his brewing to entertain the new customers, which results the over brewing of some of his potions, causing Hakyeon to start everything over again, leaving him with more late nights than usual. Lucky for him, Hyuk was a fast learner as well. After a day or two, the midnight blue haired boy had picked up on the important details to deal with customers and give them what they needed, and if they didn’t have it in stock at the moment, he took down their details so that what they needed would be available for collection the next day or the day after. It didn’t take Hakyeon long to realize that Hyuk that maybe it was time to hire the guy.

“Should we order in lunch today as well?” Hyuk said as he entered the back room where Hakyeon had been holed up for the better part of the day, back bent over his many cauldrons.

With a soft sigh, Hakyeon straightened up with a pained groan. At this rate he needs to brow a pain relief potion for himself as well, a hand resting at where it hurt the most. “That sounds good. Just order whatever and take some from the till?”

Nodding lightly in response Hyuk rested against the frame of the entry way that lead into Hakyeon’s work room, a phone in his hands while he scrolled through the different places that happened to offer delivery. “Are you feeling something with soup or something greasy and sinful?”

“If I look at anything else that resembles a potion I might throw up.” The only response that Hakyeon got was a dramatic roll of Hyuk’s eyes. Drama, meet drama. It was no wonder the both of them got along so well.

It was the bell that rang at the front of the shop that broke their silence, leaving Hakyeon to stare at his bubbling pots. Ever since business started booming, he had neglected Taekwoon in a way. It was not as if Taekwoon had stopped visiting him. No, his almost boyfriend had religiously appeared in his bed every night by the time Hakyeon had closed for the night. But the past few days had been so hectic that Hakyeon barely had enough energy to wash up and change for bed before he collapsed in Taekwoon’s arms, falling asleep even before his head hits the cold hard chest that he’s so used to lately.

Maybe it was time for Hakyeon to take a break and to have a good night with Taekwoon. Right after he finishes with this week’s batch of orders. Which was on the verge of getting ruined with the way Hakyeon was spacing out. Noticing that one of the pot as close to bubbling over, Hakyeon quickly snaps out of his daze to kill the fire with a wave of his hand, one of the small mercies of being magical. Which was why he couldn’t let Taekwoon anywhere near his work. As much as he wanted the vampire near him when he spent late nights in his shop, there was little that he could do to keep Taekwoon from interfering with the magical properties of his ingredients. Simply because vampires possesses a different branch magic, there was a chance that even a touch could screw everything up. And Hakyeon was not willing to risk any of that. Maybe when he was more established, and when he had more people helping him he could start researching. But now was not the time for him to do anything rash, not when his very livelihood depends on this business.

With a small sigh, Hakyeon decided that it was time for him to take a break, especially with the way his stomach growled when the delivery had arrived. Heading over to the sink he makes quick work of washing his hands and headed out to the storefront where Hyuk had begun setting up for lunch.

Taking one of the available stools that were available behind the main display that was currently covered up by newspapers, because it seems that Hyuk was a messy eater, leaving food all over the counter top the first few times he had his meals there until Hakyeon had enough of cleaning up after him, Hakyeon picked up his chopsticks and got started on his meal.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Hyuk broke it. “Before I forget, I was told to invite you over for dinner tonight. To meet the rest of the gang.”

Hakyeon’s hand stilled, with his food halfway into his mouth as he turned his attention to the other male in the room. “What? Tonight? Dinner?” Panic was starting to set in. He wasn’t ready to meet the rest of Taekwoon’s circle. What if they didn’t like him? What if they decided that he wasn’t good enough for Taekwoon?

As if sensing the oncoming panic attack that about to descend on Hakyeon, Hyuk took mercy on him and reassured the healer. “It’s more of a friendly thing. Everyone just wants to say hi to the person Taekwoon has been running off every night to meet. Jaehwan especially, he can’t seem to stop making conspiracy theories about you. I’m losing sleep because of you.”

Hakyeon had the decency to blush at that comment, silently nodding and agreeing to the dinner just to make Hyuk better. He owed the other that much after all. Since Hyuk had been helping him with no complains, and with such diligence too. The least Hakyeon could do was to ease the curiosity of Hyuk’s partner. “Fine, I’ll see you tonight as well. And to think that I would be sick of seeing you every day at this point, now I have to see you at night as well.”

Tilting his head to the side, Hakyeon avoided the chopsticks that Hyuk threw his way.

-

Both Hyuk and Hakyeon decided that it was best that the both of them closed early for the weekend, after having such a busy weekend, it was best for the both of them. Since Hyuk had to help with dinner while Hakyeon needed all the rest he could get before he had to go back into the work room once the weekend was over.

Taking the last few moments of sunlight he had left for the day, he took the opportunity to find the right outfit for the dinner that very night. It had been to last minute for him to do any shopping. Truth be told, it has been a while since he got himself anything new or trendy. Was trendy even the right word to use in this time and age? It was the down side of living in a small town he supposed, not knowing the latest fads like he used to when he was in the city. He had to donate most of his clothes away when he made the decision to move back here after his parents had passed away. By donating meant his roommate taking everything that he didn’t wanted and claiming it. Maybe one of these days he should make the short trip back to do some shopping for some clothes and see if there were any new books that he could get for research as well. But now he needed to push all those distracting thought to the back of his head and concentrate on getting himself presentable for dinner.

The sun was dipping over the horizon by the time Hakyeon finally picked out a suitable outfit, setting it on the bed neatly before he headed for his bath, sniffing his shirt with a small grimace, the smell of herbs and animal blood clinging onto his clothes he quickly peels it off his body and tosses it into the laundry basket. The cold draft in the room had Hakyeon shivering a little as he turned the tap for the water to fill up the small tub, pampering himself as a reward for a good work week.

A soft sigh escaped his lips when he sank into the scented hot water, feeling the tension melt away like wax under a flame, his head resting on the edge of the tub, eyes closed as he shut himself away from reality for a short moment.

The skin at the back of his neck prickled lightly, a sensation that he had gotten familiar with the past few weeks. Taekwoon had arrived, and judging from the sound of the footsteps, he was quickly approaching the bathroom where Hakyeon was still a boneless heap in the water, not wanting to leave the warm embrace that the water offered.

“I see that you got the invitation to dinner.” Hakyeon forced himself to open his eyes to look at the vampire when he spoke, giving his undead guest a small nod, pulling a little at the shower curtain so that he could keep himself somewhat decent.

“I’ll be just a minute? I just need to get dressed after this and we can go.” Hakyeon yelled out from where he was when Taekwoon left the bathroom, knowing that he was not exactly wanted there at that moment and chose to wait in the living room.

Hakyeon allowed himself a few more moments before he tugged at the plug of the tub with his toes, letting the water to slowly drain out before he was willing to get out. With a towel wrapped around his hips to cover up most of his modesty, he quickly went over to his bed where his clothes were laid out and got dressed into them. Although he knew that vampires were immortal, he didn’t want Taekwoon to wait any longer than he already had, having taken liberty to soak even longer than usual.

With his hair still wet, Hakyeon walked over to where Taekwoon was seated, a small smile curling up at the corner of his lips as he opened his arms for Hakyeon. Sitting on Taekwoon’s lap with Hakyeon’s head on his shoulder felt like home after being away for a week. Even though it had only been a few hour since he was in Taekwoon’s embrace, but in reality it felt much longer than that.

With a contented sigh, Hakyeon relaxed against Taekwoon’s hard chest. This felt like an added bonus after the warm and relaxing bath he had earlier. But in the back of his mind it also felt like the calm before the storm.

“We should head out soon. It’ll take some time for the both of us to reach at a respectable hour.” Taekwoon muttered softly, it was as if he didn’t want to startle Hakyeon or to give him any more reason to panic if he were to rush Hakyeon.

Nodding lightly against Taekwoon’s chest, Hakyeon reluctantly sits back to look at the vampire, his gaze flickering down to Taekwoon’s lips for a moment before he lean in to brush their lips together for a soft kiss. It was as though Hakyeon had gathered strength from that small peck, he got up from Taekwoon’s lap with a warm smile. “We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting would we?”

With a small nod, Taekwoon got up from the couch and took Hakyeon’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together as they made their way out of the apartment. It was almost with a child-like fascination when Taekwoon watched as Hakyeon locked and warded his house with just a soft mumble of words that he didn’t understand and a small wave of his hand before Hakyeon was finally ready to depart. Watching Hakyeon in his element never failed to amaze Taekwoon. It was like the first time he laid eyes on Hakyeon a decade ago and his chest swelled with pride at how far his little healer has gone.

In a comfortable silence, Taekwoon slowly led Hakyeon to his day time resting place by foot. The town was small enough for them to go to most places by foot and his home was no exception. After all, Hakyeon was trying to make his way home all those years ago when he was cornered near where Taekwoon lived. So distance was not an issue for them, not anymore.

It was an easy stroll by any standard and they had arrived at the corner of Taekwoon’s house within minutes. It was only then that Taekwoon had sensed the distress in Hakyeon, who had stopped in his tracks, staring at the spot where the victim of his magic had laid on the ground in agony.

“Hakyeon?” Taekwoon’s voice was soft as he tried to get Hakyeon’s attention.

It had taken Taekwoon a few tries before he finally got through to the healer, who turned to him with his gaze glazed over with emotion.

“It’s over now. He isn’t here anymore.” Bringing his hands up, Taekwoon cups Hakyeon’s face tenderly, turning the healer’s face away from the cursed spot. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Hakyeon’s eyes searched the onyx eyes of the vampire’s, looking for any trace of doubt. It was all he had right now to hold on to. That the past would not come back to haunt him and bite him in the ass.

“He can’t hurt me anymore.” Hakyeon’s was a soft whisper but Taekwoon could hear the determination behind it. “Even if he is here now, he won’t be able to hurt me anymore. I’m stronger now. And I’ll be more powerful than he will ever be.”

If Taekwoon wasn’t sure if he was in love, he was now.

-

Everything felt a little familiar to him. From the little door that opened up to a dark room that seemed like someone had lived there, all the memories came rushing back to Hakyeon. Except this time, he braced himself for it. And somehow, it didn’t hit him as hard as he thought it would.

He remembered Taekwoon cleaning him up while he was in a daze. He remembered how this place smelled old and musty, like it had not seen sunlight for decades. It probably still hasn’t. Most of all, he remembered feeling safe and warm despite the fear he felt that day. He remembered how Taekwoon was so soft and gentle to him that all his anxiety melted away even though he’s the dangerous supernatural being, not the kid who just set fire to another human being.

But that was where the familiarity ended.

Taking Hakyeon’s hand, Taekwoon led him further into the area and down a narrow flight of stairs that was barely lit with a swinging light that flickered from time to time to time. It seems that neither vampires nor human partners of vampires did not need that much light to navigate around the place, considering how dim everything seemed to be.

“We wanted to make this place as uninviting as possible. So that no one would come in and claim this place for their own.” As if sensing Hakyeon’s train of thought, Taekwoon spoke up loud enough for him to hear.

“I could ward this place up for you so that people won’t think twice about coming here?” Hakyeon offered softly. “I mean I’ve done it for my house so that bad spirits don’t come to me or no harm would come to me. I could do the same here?”

“I didn’t want to inconvenience you. You seemed busy lately at the shop. And it hasn’t been a problem for the past decade or so.”

“I know.” Hakyeon gave Taekwoon’s hand a soft squeeze, as if to reassure him that this was not a big deal. “Hyuk stays here too. And he’s my friend, so I want him to live somewhere safe too.”

There was a few moment of silence, as if Taekwoon was debating in his mind if this was something that he could ask of Hakyeon. By the time they reached the foot of the stairs, Taekwoon turned to face the healer, looking down at him. “If it gets too taxing on you, let me know and we can stop.”

Hakyeon frowned a little. What did Taekwoon mean by taxing? Warding a small space like what he had seen would be a piece of cake. From what he saw the place was about as big as his own apartment. It was not until Taekwoon opened the door that he understood what the vampire meant.

Hakyeon stood there, awestruck at just how big the underground area was. It was basically a mansion built in a basement, except where stairs headed up, these stairs ventured down to even more rooms and living spaces. No wonder Taekwoon had seemed so worried about the warding being hard on him.

Staring out at the big living area that greeted him, with simple furniture that seemed to decorate the area tastefully, Hakyeon’s reverie was broken by the sound of a high pitch squeal, much like an animal dying and trying to catch its last breath. And it was almost in slow motion that Hakyeon turned his head to see where the sound was coming from before he was attacked by a head of blonde, engulfing him in a tight hug that made it difficult for Hakyeon to breathe.

“You came! When Hyogie told me that you were coming, I couldn’t believe it!” The pitch of his excited voice was even more jarring when it was so close to his ear. “He tried to cook but he failed so bad that he had to… Ow!”

Hakyeon could finally breathe. Patting his chest lightly, Hakyeon looked up only to see Hyuk holding onto the ear of the blonde male in their midst who was grinning brightly at him. Not exactly sure who that person might be he turned to Taekwoon to clarify, but the vampire simply gave out a heavy, long suffering sigh.

“This is Jaehwan.” Taekwoon introduced the blonde with a careless gesture in the blonde’s direction. “Hyuk’s vampire pet.”

“Hyungie! That is so mean!” The blonde known as Jaehwan pouted, trying to squirm out of Hyuk’s firm hold only to have the human tighten his grip. “Ow! You should be nicer to me!”

Pulling the ear of his vampire boyfriend closer to his mouth, Hyuk kept the deceiving smile on his face when he all but growled into Jaehwan’s ear. “That’s what you get for exposing me like that.”

Hakyeon had tried his best to keep his amusement to himself. When Hyuk had mentioned that he had vampire partner, never in a hundred years would he imagine the person to be someone like Jaehwan. Especially when Hyuk seemed so nice and kind every time he was at the shop. But seeing a different side to him made Hyuk seemed more approachable than he had the past couple of weeks.

“I’m okay with takeout, really.” Hakyeon quickly supplied, trying to make the current situation not so awkward, but he found it hard to do so when laughter was threatening to bubble forth from his lips.

“Of course you should be okay with takeout! This kid put sugar in his fried eggs!” Jaehwan all but yelled, finally managing to break free from Hyuk and rushed over to Hakyeon’s side, wrapping his arms around the healer as if that could protect him from Hyuk. “We didn’t want you to die. Or else Hyungie would be very sad.”

Taekwoon who was silent up until now simply sighed again, making Hakyeon giggle softly under his breath.

“Uh… dinner is kind of ready. We’re just waiting for Hongbin and Wonshik to be done getting ready.” Hyuk said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “And I only put sugar on my eggs that one time!”

Giving Hyuk a reassuring smile he allowed Jaehwan to lead him to the dining room with the other still hugging onto his arm with Taekwoon and Hyuk trailing behind them in comfortable silence.

Upon reaching the dining table Taekwoon took his seat at the head as if he belonged there and Jaehwan quickly took to the chair on his right with Hyuk next to his partner, which left Hakyeon the chair on Taekwoon’s left. It seems that this was the usual seating arrangement between them, so who was Hakyeon to argue with what works? As long as he was not standing there awkwardly trying to figure out where he should be seated.

Hakyeon didn’t have to wait long before the remaining two came shuffling in to the dining room. Wonshik who Hakyeon recognised as the hungover Were that had visited his shop a couple of weeks back gave him a sheepish wave, while someone whom he didn’t recognise offered him a smile that was more teeth than anything else.

“Sorry. Wonshik shifted and it was a mess.” The sheepish look quickly turned into an embarrassed one. “I’m Hongbin by the way.”

Nodding lightly, Hakyeon wasn’t sure if he was supposed to stand up to shake the vampire’s hand or if he should just remain seated. Thankfully Hongbin saved him by giving Hakyeon a small wave before sitting down, getting comfortable next to Wonshik.

An awkward silence suddenly settled down at the dining table, neither one of them making a move or saying anything. It was then that Hakyeon’s stomach decided to protest and growl in the eerily silent room.

Hakyeon wanted to die.

From the corner of his eye he could see Hyuk’s shoulders starting to shake, with Jaehwan in from of him, Hakyeon could tell that the vampire was trying his very best to keep his expression as neutral as possible. But he was failing miserably at with how the corner of his lips twitched uncontrollably with suppressed laughter.

With a long suffering sigh, as if something like this occurs every day, Taekwoon picks up his chopsticks and picks up some food and places it on Hakyeon’s plate.

“You’re going to have an aneurysm, if you keep that up Jaehwan.” Hakyeon couldn’t help but let a soft giggle escape his lips at Taekwoon’s scolding, picking up his own pair of chopsticks and thanked Hyuk for the meal before he got started.  

Taking the first bite he noticed that the vampires simply sat in their seats, engaging in small talk between the three of them with voices so low that Hakyeon could barely hear them. Glancing over at Hyuk and Wonshik, he sees that the other two were enjoying their meals, not once bothering about their partners.

Taking a cue from their actions he too started eating with gusto, having not eaten much in the day. Despite it being food delivery, it still tasted great to him. It could be the hunger talking, but now that the silence between them were more comfortable, Hakyeon decided not to question it.

“Slow down.” Hakyeon recognised the voice as Hongbin’s, glancing over at what could be the issue and all he saw was Wonshik with his cheeks stuffed full with food. “You’re going to cough up a furball at this rate.”

Hakyeon bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. But neither Jaehwan nor Hyuk shared the same reservations and burst out laughing. Hakyeon could have sworn he saw food flying out of Hyuk’s mouth.

“I’m a wolf, not a house cat.” Wonshik grumbled under his breath after he had managed to swallow some of his food.

Smiling into his food, Hakyeon figured that he could get used to this, especially with Taekwoon’s hand resting on his thigh.

Yeah, he could get used to this.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of making Hyuken backstory.   
> Also.
> 
> [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/blacklacedgloves); [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/blacklacedgloves)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakyeon stays the night and Taekwoon has thoughts about murdering Hyuk.

Dinner ended almost as soon as it had started, with both Hyuk and Wonshik eating like they have been starved for days made Hakyeon hurry with his own food. Not really bother to taste the food since they had admitted that it was delivery in the first place, he didn’t want to seem like he was holding them back from whatever plans that they might have after the meal.

“You can slow down.” Taekwoon’s voice made Hakyeon pause with a spoon midway to his mouth, turning a little to look at the vampire in question. “Those two eat like this because one is an animal and the other has been experiencing puberty for the past few centuries.”

If Hakyeon had any food in his mouth he would have choked. His eyes were wide as he stared at the vampire in disbelief.

Did Taekwoon just crack a joke?

Apparently it seemed to be normal with the way Jaehwan was snickering under his breath, trying to ignore the death glares from his lover. At least Wonshik had the decency to look a little bit embarrassed at the way he seemed so ill mannered in front of their guest. Hakyeon couldn’t help but to give the shapeshifter a reassuring smile, as if to tell him that he was alright with the amount of food that the wolf seemed to have downed in such a short period of time, pushing another plate closer to the purpled haired wolf who took it gratefully.

Dinner went on without much of a hitch. If normal was Jaehwan and Hyuk and making weird jokes in between bites, causing the younger to laugh and choke on his food on a regular basis.

Hakyeon could feel the food coma slowly creeping up on him as soon as he ate the last spoon of his dessert, relaxing into his chair. Hakyeon offered to help clean up the dining table but he was stopped by Hongbin, who simply told him that he was a guest and there was no way he would allow a guest to lift a finger.

So Hakyeon stayed back at the dining table, his hand reaching down to take Taekwoon’s hand in his own, his thumb gently caressing the back of the vampire’s hand.

“I was wondering.” Taekwoon muttered, but his words rang loud and clear in Hakyeon’s ear. “If you would like to stay the night.”

Oh.

Hakyeon could feel his face heating up and he was sure that the vampire next to him could heart the sudden increase in his heartbeat as well. “I uh… I didn’t bring any clothes to sleep in.”

“I have them.” Taekwoon’s voice was always so calm and soothing, even when Hakyeon was about to combust on the inside. “Even the weird silk pyjamas that you seem to like so much.”

“You had me at silk pyjamas.” Hakyeon mumbled shyly under his breath. And for the second time for the night he wanted to crawl under the table and hide there for the rest of his short life.

Hakyeon and Taekwoon got up from their seats and bid the rest a good evening as they made their way out of the dining room, with Hakyeon keeping his gaze on anything that wasn’t the occupants of the room who sent the witch knowing looks. It was not as if anything was set in stone, but the way Jaehwan was wriggling his eyebrows at his friend, Hakyeon couldn’t help but feel his ears burn from the embarrassment.

“Are you going to give him a tour of the house?” Hakyeon recognized the voice as Hyuk’s, which seemed to be lit in amusement and the witch made a mental note to put some laxatives in his food the next time. Hyuk and Jaehwan together is a dangerous combination. A lesser person would have died from the humiliation at this point.

“No, Hakyeon has to head to the shop tomorrow. I have no intention in keeping him up.” Hakyeon’s head snapped up to look at Taekwoon for a second before he forced himself to look away again when he heard a snigger in the background. He was a hair’s breadth to setting the dining room and its occupants on fire if he didn’t like them as much as he did.

“I… Uh… Yeah, I have a few orders to rush out to some of my clients tomorrow.” Hakyeon added lamely. It was not as if anyone would have believed that excuse. But these were nocturnal beings and Hakyeon held onto a tiny silver of hope that they would accept his excuse of needing sleep at normal human times instead of staying up doing whatever their imagination had concocted in their convoluted minds.

“Sure.” Hongbin seemed to be the only sane one amongst all of them, agreeing easily to what Hakyeon had said. “But just in case, I’m sure you know what wards to use to silence the room.”

Alright, maybe Hakyeon was wrong about him.

 

Hakyeon heard the door click close behind him in the darkness, using the opportunity to ward the room like Hongbin suggested. As much as Taekwoon said that he had no intention, Hakyeon couldn’t help but to hope for something more to happen between the both of them.

The light was turned on suddenly and the witch was suddenly blinded by the brightness, eyes squinting into small slits to let as little light in as possible until he slowly got used to it.

Once his eyes were more comfortable, Hakyeon took his time to take in his surroundings that was Taekwoon’s room. It was everything that Hakyeon expected it to be. Simple and clean cut, like the owner of the room. With a bed in the middle of the room and a simple nightstand by the side, void of anything on the surface and a closet at the corner of the room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary except the plush couch that was facing the bed, back against the wall. Why was there a need for a couch when there was no television or any other forms of entertainment for the vampire to enjoy?

As if he was able to read the human’s mind, Taekwoon spoke out. “Sometimes I prefer to read on the couch instead of the bed.”

Hakyeon could only nod at that reasoning, turning his head to look at the vampire, head tilted lightly to the side. “You mentioned something about pyjamas?”

Taekwoon’s eyes seemed to light up in understanding and he nodded in response, heading over to his modest closet he opened it to take out a set of neatly folded pyjamas and handed it over to Hakyeon.

“The bathroom is right over there.” Gesturing to the door at the side of the room, Hakyeon took the outfit and headed over in that direction. One had to be clean to begin the art of seduction after all.

No intention of keeping him up? Not if his firm, delectable ass had a say in this.

-

There was something wrong with the outfit. Something very wrong with the way his pyjama bottoms ended mid-thigh. Apparently this isn’t the full length pants that he was used to. Stepping back a little to take a look at himself, Hakyeon wasn’t sure if he even looked decent enough to step out of the bathroom. Did Taekwoon even know that this was what he had given to his lover? Was this what he meant by no intention of keeping Hakyeon up?

A soft knock on the door broke Hakyeon’s train of thought, making him turn his head to the piece of wood separating him and the vampire who could probably hear his thoughts all the way from the bedroom.

“Hakyeon? Is everything alright? Your heartbeat sounds a little erratic.” Taekwoon’s soft voice made Hakyeon shiver a little, and the silk was not helping one bit.

“Uh… yeah. I’ll be out soon” Hakyeon’s voice sounded unsure, even to himself. Giving himself one last glance in the mirror he heads out to meet his lover.

Hearing the door open, Taekwoon lifts his head up to offer the witch a reassuring smile since it was the first time the other had stayed over and he was sure that Hakyeon was bound to feel uncomfortable in this unknown space. But the smile died on his face when his gaze raked down Hakyeon’s outfit.

Hyuk was going to get it tomorrow.

Under Taekwoon’s gaze Hakyeon couldn’t help but fidget. He couldn’t decide if Taekwoon’s dark look was making him uncomfortable or making his cheeks heat up with something else. “Do you not like it?”

Hakyeon waited for Taekwoon to come up with a response, the struggle was evident on the vampire’s face. And that brought a smile to Hakyeon’s face, making him want to do a little jig of victory. All the times that Taekwoon had stayed over in his modest apartment, the vampire always looked so composed and collected, wrapping his arms around Hakyeon every time he slipped into bed. And now his lover was losing some of his calm, making Hakyeon write a mental note to thank whoever got this from him because from the look on Taekwoon’s face, he had no idea about this either.

“Do you not like it?” Hakyeon muttered softly, getting a little unsure now that Taekwoon’s gaze had yet to move an inch. “I can go change if you like?”

Taking a step to head back to the bathroom, Hakyeon was stopped by the cold touch on his wrist, pulling him closer to the vampire. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to make you uncomfortable.”

Giving Taekwoon a small nod, Hakyeon allowed himself to be led to the bed. The vampire letting go of Hakyeon to climb into bed while he joins the witch, wrapping his harms around the warm body and embracing Hakyeon tightly in his arms, relishing in the soft breaths that the human took trying to ease the pounding of his heart.

“You do know that I don’t really have to work tomorrow until late, don’t you?” Hakyeon turned a little in Taekwoon’s arms to face the vampire, a playful smile on his lips. “Was this an excuse to get me all alone and have me in this pair of skimpy shorts?”

“Hyuk got you these when I asked him to shop for your impending visit.” Taekwoon’s voice was steady and it made Hakyeon frown a little. Was this not enough to make Taekwoon lose control?

Tilting his head a little Hakyeon wriggled a little closer to the cold body, pressing his own body flush against the vampire’s, trying to get some sort of a reaction out of Taekwoon. “Don’t you like it though? It feels nicer than most of the ones I have, and the cut is… interesting to say the least.”

“Are you trying to seduce me, Hakyeon?” Taekwoon mumbled softly under his breath, his gaze growing darker by the second.

“Maybe? Is it working though? You haven’t kissed me since I got here.” Hakyeon’s smile only grew a little wider when the vampire looked away bashfully, moving only to bury his face in the curve of Hakyeon’s neck.

“Don’t tease me.”

“Who, me? I’m doing no such thing.” Hakyeon’s smile turned into a full grin as he presses his lips softly against Taekwoon’s in a small kiss. “I had no idea you were so shy with all the moves you made on me the past few months.”

Hakyeon was about to move and tease his lover a little more when he suddenly found himself on his back, his breath knocked out of his lungs as he looked up at Taekwoon who was pinning his arms down, the vampire’s already dark pupils blown wide with lust. “Would you rather I be forward instead?”

“Yes, definitely a yes.” Hakyeon barely breathes out, feeling the weight of Taekwoon pressing down on him in the most delicious way possible.

Taekwoon’s stoic face broke into a smile, his big hands resting on the sides of Hakyeon’s bare thighs, slowly sliding up the smooth tanned skin. “You’re so beautiful.”

From the way his breath hitched from the praise, Hakyeon was sure he was going to die soon from the lack of breathing. It was as if all his nerve endings were on fire, blazing a trail on his skin where Taekwoon’s touch lingered and Hakyeon couldn’t help himself as he wrapped his legs around the vampire’s waist, pulling him closer so that their bodies were pressed flush against each other. With a small tilt of his head, Hakyeon slots his lips against Taekwoon’s in a soft and loving kiss.

A shiver runs up Hakyeon’s spine when he felt Taekwoon’s cold touch running up his sides, under his shirt and slowly pushing the cool and smooth material up his heated skin, leaving a trail of gooseflesh on his tanned skin. Once Taekwoon managed to push the silken top over Hakyeon’s head, he tossed the offending article of clothing to some random corner of the room. Instead of moving in to Kiss Hakyeon, to which the human had whined in protest, Taekwoon latched his lips against the edge of Hakyeon’s jaw, kissing a path down to his neck, slowly kissing down to the bumping pulse. Sucking on that particular spot draws a soft moan from Hakyeon, who tilted his head to give the vampire better access who scrapped his blunt teeth against the damp skin, leaving a faint red mark in its wake before he continued his way down the wide expanse of Hakyeon’s bare body.

Hakyeon tried, he really tried to be patient with Taekwoon. He understood what the vampire was trying to do, taking his time to get to know Hakyeon’s body. But the thing is, Hakyeon doesn’t have the practiced patience that Taekwoon had honed for years. He wanted Taekwoon and he wanted him yesterday.

“Taekwoon…” Hakyeon’s voice was a hushed whisper, laced with a slight tinge of urgency. He didn’t want Taekwoon to think that he was a spoiled brat in bed after all. “Maybe you could hurry up a little?”

Taekwoon only hums in reply, nosing at the waistband of Hakyeon’s silk boxers before he tugs them down, inch by inch. Making Hakyeon suck in a sharp breath when the cool air hit his bare skin.

“You’re wearing nothing under this.” If Hakyeon was paying attention he could hear how Taekwoon’s voice dropped an octave lower, a rare show of the vampire losing his usual control. “You minx.”

Taking matters into his own hands, Hakyeon moves to kick the shorts off, giggling softly when it lands a fair distance away from the bed and he reaches down to tug at Taekwoon’s shirt, using his sheer determination to pull it over the vampire’s head.

“You should be wearing nothing at all at this point!” Hakyeon complained childishly, feeling a rush of victory when he manages to wrestle the shirt away from the vampire.

Taekwoon pulls away from his lover, trying to ignore the pout that were on the kiss swollen lips to work on his pants, slipping them past his hips and letting them fall to fall as he stepped out of them and he climbs back into bed, resting some of his weight on Hakyeon. Pressing himself flush against the warm skin, Taekwoon’s eyes flutter close at the feel of the heated blood rushing under Hakyeon’s skin as he took his lover’s lips for a heated kiss, groaning softly as he wrapped the tanned legs around his waist once more, grinding his hardening length up against where Hakyeon wanted him the most.

Moaning shamelessly, Hakyeon arched his back to press himself up even more against Taekwoon, silently begging for more. Hoping that the vampire got the note that he needed more. Hakyeon bit hard on his lower lip when Taekwoon pull back from the kiss, giving the vampire a questioning look as his chest heaves trying to catch his breath. His eyes followed Taekwoon’s hand that reached out for the bedside drawer and he pulls out an emptying bottle of lube, causing Hakyeon’s eyebrows to shoot up.

“Have you been busy?” Hakyeon teases his lover softly, biting his lip for different reason now, trying to keep himself from giggling now. “Or has this been there for so long that it evaporated? I think I should check if it’s expired.”

A loud smack echoed into the room and Hakyeon chokes out a moan.

“Who knew you had such a mouth on you.” Taekwoon’s voice broke through Hakyeon’s lust induced haze, his hand gently caressing the blooming red mark on the tanned skin that he had smacked earlier.

“If you keep taking your time you’ll see what kind of mouth I have.” Hakyeon bites out without malice, leaning forward to press his lips against Taekwoon’s, wrapping his arms around the vampire to pull him closer.

A soft click of the bottle being opened could be heard nearby, making Hakyeon thrum with anticipation as he brings his legs just a little higher, giving Taekwoon easier access to where he needed his lover the most.

With his slick fingers, Taekwoon rubbed them together to warm it up before he circles the tight rim of muscle with his fingertips, eliciting a soft moan from Hakyeon’s lips. Licking his lips, Taekwoon slowly pushed into the tight ring of muscles slowly, giving the other some time to get used to the intrusion.

Hakyeon took a couple of deep breaths, it had been a while since he had done this. Forcing himself to relax, he playfully rolled his hips against Taekwoon’s finger to tell the vampire that he was ready, allowing the digit to push further into him, intimately caressing his walls.

Taekwoon took a while before he added another finger and he slowly worked Hakyeon open, pressing his lips against the soft and warm ones of the other to swallow the delicious sounds that fell from Hakyeon’s lips until the other whined patiently for more.

Reluctantly, Taekwoon pulls away from Hakyeon only to coat his neglected length with even more lube, with the intention of making this as comfortable for Hakyeon as possible. The sheets could be changed in the morning, not like he would mind it when he died for the day.

Positioning the slick head of his length at Hakyeon’s entrance, his gaze met his lover’s as he slowly pushed in, bit by bit only to feel Hakyeon take him in hungrily with a loud mewl.

Taekwoon keeps his eyes on Hakyeon’s face, trying to take note of any discomfort from when he pushes in but all he sees is a soft smile on his lover’s lips as Hakyeon’s eyes flutter close in please, relishing in the way Taekwoon’s length slowly stretched him open.

It burns, but it burns in a good way. In a way that Hakyeon dreams about when Taekwoon visits him in his slumber. But the only difference in his dream and reality is that in his dream, Taekwoon didn’t treat him like he was fragile.

“Move.” He pleads softly, pulling Taekwoon closer to him so that their chests were pressed flush together and he wraps his arms around the pale column that is Taekwoon’s neck where he buries his face to inhale the scent of his boyfriend. “Please..”

Taekwoon nods and rests his weight on his elbows on either side of Hakyeon’s body and he watches the way pleasure plays across Hakyeon’s flushed face as he slides into him, his length brushing against Hakyeon’s smooth walls, his lips parting as he rocked his hips back and forth to meet Taekwoon’s thrusts, quickening the pace between them until all that could be heard is Hakyeon’s harsh pants and the sounds of wet skin against skin when Taekwoon starts fucking into him with renewed fervour.

With a well angled thrust of his hips, Taekwoon grunts when Hakyeon lets out a high pitched moan and the latter tightens around him.

“Bite me.” If it wasn’t for his sensitive hearing, Taekwoon thought that he might be mistaken. But when he pulled his body back to get a good look at Hakyeon, he could see the big bright eyes looking back at him with a rare show of clarity despite what was going on. “You have to feed, Taekwoon. Do it now.”

Glancing down to Hakyeon’s slim neck, his gaze flickered up to his lover’s face to make sure that it was alright. Giving Taekwoon a reassuring nod he curls his fingers around the back of Taekwoon’s neck and pulls him down, a shiver running down his spine when he feels Taekwoon’s nose brushing up against his sensitive skin. I

nhaling sharply, Taekwoon breathed in the scent that was distinctly Hakyeon before he parts his lips, allowing his fangs to drop down and scrapped the sharp points against the smooth skin, causing Hakyeon’s breath to hitch a little. Snapping his hips forward he thrusts hard into his lover, using the moment of distraction to pierce Hakyeon’s skin with his fangs, allowing the warm blood to fill his mouth while his hips picked up its speed to set a hard and fast pace.

“There! Taekwoon, please. More. I need more.” Hakyeon was babbling at this point. With each movement of Taekwoon’s hips he could feel the tip of his lover’s length brush against his sweet spot over and over again. Hakyeon’s thighs are trembling around Taekwoon and he knows that his lover is close, so close. Taekwoon reaches down to wrap his long fingers around Hakyeon’s leaking length and he strokes it in time with his well-aimed thrusts.

Without warning, Hakyeon releases with a soft cry, muffled with the way he bit hard on his lower lip, his walls tightening around Taekwoon’s sensitive length that pushes him over the edge after a few more thrusts, emptying his load with a soft groan inside his lover, rolling his hips a few more times just to ride out his orgasm while his hands continued with lazy strokes to milk Hakyeon of every last drop until the latter whined from oversensitivity.

His legs fell to the bed the moment Hakyeon unravelled them from Taekwoon’s waist and he gives the vampire a dopey smile, who returned it with a small, bloody one of his own despite him trying to wipe off as much as he could before he leans into give Hakyeon a soft kiss who accepted it without complaint.

“Maybe I should thank Hyuk for those pyjamas.” He mumbles softly against Hakyeon’s lips, who replied with a soft giggle.

“Shouldn’t you thank me for wearing nothing under?”

-

When Hakyeon wakes up to what he assumes is the next day, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself relatively clean despite what happened the night before. The thought of which brought a blush to his cheeks and he turns around to see Taekwoon dead to the world with a contented look on his pale face.

Gingerly, he starts moving about in bed, testing his body to see if he was overly sore if anywhere had hurt. And he was once again pleasantly surprised when he discovered that he only had a slight ache between his legs as he sat up and there seemed to be a kink in his neck from where Taekwoon bit him the night before. Nothing a simple homemade salve couldn’t fix.

Deciding that he should probably head back home and get started on preparing for the week ahead, Hakyeon kicked off the covers and padded over to the bathroom for a quick shower before he headed out to the dining room in the clothes he had on the night before to see if there was anything to eat, or if anyone was awake in the house.

A tall figure hunched over the kitchen counter who Hakyeon assumes to be Hyuk whom he called out for and it turns out that he was right. Giving Hakyeon a blinding smile he pulls out a chair for Hakyeon to sit on.

“We only have cereal since Wonshik sleeps like a vampire with the exception of snoring and I’m the only one who eats breakfast.” Holding up a half empty box he offered it to Hakyeon who took it with a small smile while Hyuk went over to grab a bowl and some milk for his guest.

“I assumed you slept well. Jaehwan said that he couldn’t hear a thing last night.” He said, a small flush appearing on his cheeks when he had realized what he has said. “Not that any one of us was eavesdropping anyway!”

A soft laugh escaped Hakyeon as he waved the other off, grabbing the box and pouring himself some food. “I took Hongbin's advice and warded the room.”

“Oh?” Hyuk’s eyes widened in interest. “So something did happen last night?”

It was Hakyeon’s turn to blush, especially with the way Hyuk’s eyes was roaming about, looking for any evidence that might support his case.

“I’m just going to finish my breakfast and head back to the shop if you want to join me. I have a lot to do for the next week.” Hakyeon tried to change to subject, which seemed to work with the way Hyuk’s light up with the thought of helping Hakyeon out.

“Yeah sure! Not like I have anything to do anyway.”

With a few more mouthfuls of cereal, Hakyeon quickly finished his meal and he washed his dishes despite Hyuk’s protest and they both headed out the door, bumping into each other’s shoulders in a cheerful banter that they had gotten accustomed to the past couple of weeks.

It wasn’t until they were close to Hakyeon’s home and shop that the witch had realized that something was not right.

“The wards have been disturbed.” Hakyeon mutters softly under his breath, to which Hyuk’s eyes grew wide, looking around frantically to see if the threat was still present, calming down only when Hakyeon rests his hand on his arm.

“It’s okay. It’s safe in the day.” Pulling at Hyuk’s arm they slowly made their way to the door of his shop, with the barriers welcoming them like a warm embrace as he opened it to head into the safe confines of his home where the protection was the strongest for the both of them. “We’re safe now.”

Turning to Hyuk with a soft reassuring smile, it died when he sees the look on the other’s face.

“No we’re not.” Hyuk whispers softly, eyeing on the piece of paper that was on the floor, pristine white except with the ink on the floor that seemed almost black. “It’s blood.”

Reading the words on the note, Hakyeon paled.

 

_I’ve missed you, witch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't throw stones at me for the smut if its horrible  
> Still in the midst of making Hyuken backstory.  
> Also.
> 
> [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/blacklacedgloves); [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/blacklacedgloves)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which blood was spilled

He didn’t feel like be belonged in his body. Not at that moment with the note in his hand. It was as if he was watching the whole scene play out through someone else’s eyes, like a view finder. It was as if his mind and his body were two separate entities that can’t seem to reconcile.

Hakyeon had no idea that he stood at the front of the shop, unmoving until Sanghyuk reached out to give him a light shake, breaking him out of his self-induced trance with a small jerk.

“Sorry, I must have spaced out. We should open shop soon.” Hakyeon didn’t look at the other to know that Sanghyuk was giving him concerned looks, he could feel it radiating off his friend in strong suffocating waves and he needed to get away from it. Even if it means distracting himself in the shop.

There was never a doubt that Taekwoon would have already knew what had happened, with Sanghyuk by his side. And for once Hakyeon was thankful for the daylight to give him some time to think. Or to freak out silently.

Putting his body on autopilot, he told Sanghyuk to help set up the shop front like he had done many times before while Hakyeon went off to the workroom in the back, trying to get all the ingredients he needed for the day with trembling hands. Trying to keep it all together. But that was proving a challenge when his mind was racing a mile a minute, thinking about who would send that note. Someone from the city? The Academy? Someone he had tried to help but failed? Someone from his past? Hakyeon tried. He tried to best he could to think of someone but everything just came out blank. The note could have been sent by anyone who he had come across and knew that he was a witch. But why? Why did this note send a chill down his spine? Like a sense of foreboding that is creeping up on him like vines on a fence?

Hakyeon has no idea that he was having a panic attack until he felt warm arms embracing him and a familiar voice in his ear telling him to breathe. Hakyeon tried, he really did try. Closing his eyes to concentrate on Sanghyuk’s voice he tried to follow the instructions, breathing in and out in slow and even breaths until he could feel the fog slowly clearing from his mind.

“Are you with me?” Hakyeon opened his eyes to Sanghyuk’s young face and gave him a small, tired nod.

“Yeah. Thank you for that.” Rubbing Hakyeon’s arm, Sanghyuk hums softly in reply, as if to tell the witch that it was no problem.

“As long as you’re alright.” Sanghyuk mumbles softly, afraid that any loud noises would send Hakyeon back into a state of anxiety. “We’ll take it slow today, alright? I’ll handle the counter and I’ll only look for you if I really don’t know where something is so that you can have some time to yourself. How does that sound?”

Hakyeon lets out a sigh of relief and nods. “That sounds like heaven right now, thank you.”

Leaving Hakyeon to his own devices, Sanghyuk went back out to the front to get everything ready before he flipped the sign to show that they were open for business. Setting his ingredients on the table top, Hakyeon checks to see that he had everything he needed to get started on the work he promised himself to do today before letting muscle memory take over him. Too conflicted in his mind to be present.

It was not until lunch time that Sanghyuk finally came to the back to tell Hakyeon that he was going to order lunch, to which Hakyeon only nodded absentmindedly, not really caring what he would put in his body to keep it going.

The day passed by in a blur and Hakyeon didn’t even realized that sunlight eventually became dimmer and dimmer until it was replaced by the lightbulb above him. Day had turned to dusk while he was still stuck in the moment of that morning. His body, his hands was washing up the cauldron despite where his mind was at. And soon he was staring at an empty countertop.

“Hakyeon?” The voice sounded familiar, drawing Hakyeon away from the cesspool of thought in his head and he looks up, meeting a pair of dark concerned eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I…” Hakyeon cleared his throat, a little scratchy from the lack of use. “I think so. Is it night already?”

With Hakyeon’s words, Taekwoon sent Sanghyuk a look of barely concealed alarm. “Have you eaten at all today?”

“Yeah. Hyuk made me eat something for lunch earlier.” Hakyeon muttered softly under his breath, looking around his shop as the fog slowly started to clear up, now that Taekwoon was here he found it slightly easier to keep himself grounded. “There was a note, Taekwoon.”

The vampire reached out to take the warm but clammy hand in his, a small attempt to comfort the witch.

“I know. Hongbin and Wonshik are outside now trying to figure out what is happening as we speak.” His thumb brushing back and forth across Hakyeon’s knuckles to comfort him. “Maybe you might want to pack a bag and stay over at ours? Just to be safe.”

That pulled Hakyeon back into reality.

“What do you mean? Like move in with you?” The witch’s eyes widened. Was he really hearing this?

“It’s safer with us looking out for you. Even during the day there’s always Hyuk and Wonshik there.” Taekwoon reasoned softly, it was as if he was afraid to startle Hakyeon.

“It was just a note, Taekwoon. It’s not as if someone is out trying to murder me.” Hakyeon tried to reason. Somehow he didn’t want to admit that Taekwoon was right. If he did that means he was in danger and that he needed help. And there was a small part of him that still wanted to be independent. Like he did all those years ago when he boarded the bus to the city.

“You don’t know that though. What if this person is out there trying to hurt you?” Taekwoon’s voice was soft but Hakyeon could hear him as clear as day.

“Then I have wards! I can protect myself! I’m not some damsel in distress that needs a tall, handsome vampire swooping in to rescue me!” Hakyeon was getting angry and he couldn’t help it, even if he had no idea why in the first place. He knew that Taekwoon was trying to look out for him. “I’m not ten anymore, Taekwoon. I’m not going to run away this time.”

Taekwoon looked like a kicked puppy and Hakyeon felt bad almost immediately.

Hakyeon was about to open his mouth to try to control the damage done when another voice sounded off in the room, slightly deeper this time. He had no realized that Hongbin had come into the shop. “It’s not about you being helpless and needing someone to save you, Hakyeon.” Looking away from Taekwoon he was surprised to see that Hongbin was the one speaking. “It’s about being smart and away from the place that clearly isn’t safe for you, even though it is your own home. What if this person has more power than the wards that you’ve put up and none of us are around to help you and you end up being killed? It’s not about being helpless. It’s about not being stupid.”

“And Taekwoon already spends most nights with you, so I don’t really see the difference.” Sanghyuk mentioned to an already embarrassed Hakyeon.

His eyes flickered to Jaehwan and the witch could see how the vampire was fighting not to burst out laughing despite the situation. There really was no winning that logic. It was simple, Hakyeon simply wanted to have some sort of control over what happens next. He might even feel better if he was the one who suggested this but the others were right. There was safety in numbers.

So with a soft defeated sigh, Hakyeon turned on his heels to head up to the stairs to pack his belongings so that he could stay over for the next few nights at least.

 

 

He didn’t think that he would be back here so soon. Even though the night that he has spent in Taekwoon’s room brought back a certain warmth in his body, Hakyeon thought that they would spend many more nights at his place instead.

Hearing the soft click of the door behind him, Hakyeon finally allowed himself to succumb to his exhaustion and his shoulders sagged down, feeling the weight of the world on them. It was then that he felt Taekwoon’s familiar arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. It might not have the human warmth that his parents used to give him but it was comforting in its own way, knowing that his lover was with him despite his stubbornness earlier.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” Hakyeon admitted softly, knowing that Taekwoon could hear him just find. “I got scared earlier, thinking about what happened the last time and I just, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave like the last time.”

“You won’t. You didn’t have a choice the last time and now you do.” Taekwoon mumbles, pressing a soft kiss to the soft skin of Hakyeon’s neck. “And I won’t let you go this time either.”

-

The next few days went by relatively normal. With his nights spent in Taekwoon’s arms, sometimes falling asleep in the arms of his lover because he has such a long day in the shop, the other times he manages to spend a few quality hours with the vampire before sleep overtook him. And his days were spent in the shop with Sanghyuk manning the front counter because everyone seemed to love the baby faced boy who was in fact, a few centuries old. On some days, Wonshik would join them when he had nothing else to do and the shop will see a few more blushing school girls hanging outside just to catch a glimpse of the wolf in human skin.

Today was no different from the other days he had since the note, and Hakyeon was feeling pretty confident that he could move back into his own apartment soon enough. It could have been just a prank after all, by people who think that the witch didn’t belong here and tried to scare him out of town. That was the theory for now anyway. There was no threat that Hongbin and Wonshik would find after investigating and everyone was hitting a dead end. Which made Hakyeon feel somewhat relieved that there was nothing out there that was after him. That he was safe in this town.

It was almost the end of the week and Hakyeon was expecting a delivery of fresh produce that included herbs and some flowers to get him started on a new batch of potions, a rather large order that he has recently received and was excited to get started on.

He was getting his equipment ready when he hears the familiar ping of the door sound across the shop, and with no greeting from Sanghyuk, Hakyeon assumed that it was Wonshik dropping by, probably with some food since it was nearing lunch as well. Better to start work on a full belly rather than an empty one, Hakyeon cleans his hands off on a kitchen counter and headed out to the front to greet the wolf, who grinned back at him.

That was when the door opened once more and the delivery man came in, but Hakyeon didn’t miss the way Wonshik stiffened in his seat by the counter and sniffing at the air as if something was wrong. But Hakyeon brushed it off and turned to greet the man with his usual cheerful disposition while Sanghyuk paid for the items with the money from the cash drawer.

Humming as he checked off the items he needed off the big box, he slowly brings the containers back to his workroom one by one so that he could sort them out properly, saying goodbye to the delivery man once the payment had been sorted. It had taken him a while but soon he was reaching the bottom of the box when he noticed the grimace on Wonshik’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon looked up at the wold with a curious expression.

“Something smells bad in here. Something’s not right.”

Frowning at Wonshik’s answer he checks on the items that he has already placed on his shelf to make sure nothing has gone bad. “There’s nothing spoiled here. Maybe it’s something in the box?”

And before Wonshik could pinpoint where the scent was coming from, Hakyeon took the last container out of the box and there it was. Another note.

_Soon._

As if smelling the spike of fear in the air, Wonshik bolted out of his seat to where Hakyeon stood frozen to the ground.

“What is it?” Wonshik looked over the witch’s shoulder and the smell of blood hit him like train. It was the scent that he and Hongbin was chasing after a few nights ago. Looking at the note, the Were frowned and slowly pulled the note away from Hakyeon’s trembling hands and sniffed at it so that he could better identify it.

Sanghyuk carefully approached the pair after flipping the sign to tell customers that they were closed for the day, pulling the human in his arms for a comforting hug. He would tell that Hakyeon was trying his best not to succumb to the panic that was hanging in the air.

“I have to go back and get Hongbin.” There was a sense of urgency in Wonshik’s voice that had the other two looking up. “I’ll inform Taekwoon in the meantime and see where he would want to go from here. I would assume that he might want you to stay over at ours for a longer period now that we know that this isn’t a prank”

Hakyeon could only nod in agreement, it was all he could do with his strength slowly bleeding out of him and Sanghyuk was now supporting his weight.

With a reassuring hand on Hakyeon’s shoulder, which did not feel comforting in the least, Wonshik left the shop. Leaving Hakyeon with Sanghyuk who was now rubbing slow circles on his back.

“Maybe we should take a seat somewhere. I’ll call for something to eat so that we do not have to leave if it that does not make you feel safe, alright?” Sanghyuk said as he slowly sat Hakyeon on one of the seats in the waiting area that was usually reserved for customers waiting for a potion waiting to be bottled up.

Hakyeon sank bonelessly into the seat as he stared into space, not really hearing what the other had to say. Thoughts were going through his head a mile a minute. Everything seemed to be going fine the last few days but it seems that he was wrong. There was someone, something out there and he was not safe. None of them were if vampires were dying from what he could gathered from the hushed discussions that he had heard over at the house. They were trying to shield the poor human when the said human was the target. He had to do something about it.

Hakyeon had no idea how long had passed until a hand rested on his shoulder, making him jump a little in his seat and Sanghyuk gave him an apologetic look.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Sanghyuk gave Hakyeon a soft and reassuring smile. “But food is here and you should have something to eat.”

Allowing the other to help him out of his seat and to the work room away from prying eyes, Hakyeon sat down and stared at the simple spread of food before him. As if on autopilot, he picked up his chopsticks and he mindlessly started eating, not seeing the worried looks that Sanghyuk was giving him.

Before he was even done with his meal he could feel the wards around the shop tingling and he looks up only to see Taekwoon striding over to him and pulled the witch into a comforting embrace.

And with that embrace he felt all the anxiety in his body leave him, sagging his full weight against the vampire who took it with no issue. Hakyeon didn’t care about what the others would think of him as he wrapped his limbs around his lover, with those strong arms holding him up.

“I’ll bring him home while you guys do what you can.” Taekwoon’s voice was soft but authoritative, sending a small shiver down Hakyeon’s spine, feeling a certain heat pooling in his belly and he buries his face in the smooth curve of Taekwoon’s neck so that no one could see his embarrassment, so much for being a strong independent person who was not a damsel in distress. He was so ready to eat his words right up for dessert right now. Nothing was safer than Taekwoon’s arms right in this moment.  

 

Hakyeon didn’t care how they got back to Taekwoon’s place, nor did he care. All that mattered in that moment was that Taekwoon was not letting go of him. It was as if the vampire was shielding him from all the dangers lurking in the dark. Like the way he took Hakyeon’s hand all those years ago. If he had not fallen in love then he would have fallen now, deeper and deeper.

“Hakyeon.” Taekwoon tried to pull away, drawing a soft whine out of Hakyeon. The soft chuckle from the vampire made Hakyeon tighten his arms around the other so that he could not see his flushed face.

“You have to let go for me to change you and tuck you into bed.”

Hakyeon shook his head against the vampire, who let out a soft resigned sigh and Hakyeon heard the soft ruffle of the sheets being moved. Moving along with Taekwoon, he found himself lying on top of his lover.   

“I’m scared.” Hakyeon’s voice was muffled but Taekwoon could hear him clearly, humming softly in response. “What if it’s really after me and I’m not strong enough? Not strong enough to keep you or myself safe?”

“Then we’ll make you stronger.” That made Hakyeon pull back to look at Taekwoon, eyes wide with surprise.

“How?” His voice a bare whisper, afraid of tipping the balance if he did something wrong to increase his power.

“We do what Jaehwan does with Hyuk.” Taekwoon stated in a matter-of-fact manner. As if drinking a vampire’s blood was a normal everyday occurrence.

“But what if there are consequences?” Hakyeon could feel the familiar coldness of fear creeping up his neck once more. “What if it doesn’t work for a witch like it does doe a human like Hyuk?”

“We’ll deal with it when it comes. At least we would have tried. Right now, my only consequence of not trying is potentially losing you. And I don’t want to risk it right now.”

With a soft shuddering breath, Hakyeon closes his eyes giving Taekwoon a soft nod. He knew that he was giving in too easily. He didn’t have the strength in him to fight it anymore. It was safer than blood magic that he was close to contemplating earlier and that would most definitely have consequences that he was sure he could not afford. Especially now that Taekwoon was offering, means that this blood was given willingly and he prayed to whatever god that presides over him that it was enough to not tip the balance, to fuck with karma.

Slowly blinking his eyes open he sees Taekwoon looking up at him, searching at his face to make sure that Hakyeon was certain. Giving Taekwoon another small nod he could almost sense the relief from the vampire.

His eyes were trained on the thin lips of his lover as he watches the canines slowly extend into fangs, his breath hitching in his throat and he wasn’t sure if he was scared or excited. Watching Taekwoon bring his own hand to his lips and he bites down, breaking the skin and watching the red taint his lips a delicious red and Hakyeon found himself licking his own lips, parting as he lifts his gaze to meet Taekwoon’s. Once Taekwoon was satisfied that the wound was big enough he pulled his hand back to offer his hand to Hakyeon who took it with surprisingly steady hands.

With an encouraging nod from the vampire, Hakyeon slowly brings the bleeding wrist to his lips, taking a small lick to keep the blood from dripping off the pale wrist, eliciting a soft moan from Taekwoon. A soft moan that sent his own blood down between his lips and that egged him on to latch onto the wrist, sucking lightly on it and he swallowed, ignoring the taste of the blood lingering on his tongue and focusing on the way Taekwoon’s breath becomes a little more unsteady.

A few more swallows before Hakyeon thinks that it is enough and he releases his hold, licking his lips clean and unknowingly smearing more blood across his face that has Taekwoon’s eyes blown wide with something darker and hotter. Offering the vampire a small smile to show that he was fine, he found Taekwoon’s lips on his with a hungry kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I'll get working on the next chapter soon.   
> Twitter: blacklacedglove  
> Follow me for updates!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Help me and your debt will be repaid."

Waking up the next day, Hakyeon was mildly surprised at the lack of aches between his leg or on any other part of his body for the matter. He could feel Taekwoon’s cold body next to him, giving him a small sense of comfort that he is safe. Even though the arm around his waist is lifeless, he knows that nothing would happen to him. Not with his friends down the hallway ready to protect him.

With a soft sigh escaping his lips he slowly climbs out of the bed, tucking the covers around Taekwoon even though the vampire would not be able to tell the difference in the temperature in his current state. Once Hakyeon was satisfied at how comfortable his boyfriend looked, he padded to the bathroom to get himself ready for the day.

Turning on the knob for the shower he hums softly while he waited for the heater to kick in, looking at himself in the mirror. Hakyeon thought he would look worse than he currently does, inspecting himself to look for any flaw that might make him look weak of tired. But surprisingly there were no dark eye circles or eyebags marring his looks. Once the mirror starts to fog up he steps under the hot stream of water, allowing his muscles to relax under it, hoping that his worries and troubles would melt away with the water. Sadly, by the time his shower was done and he had used up all the hot water, his troubles were still present and very real. Now with the added complication that he now had Taekwoon’s blood in his body, which might end up having a negative effect on his magic.

It was something he had to see for himself once he went back to the shop. There was nothing he could do in the house when all this equipment and supplies were all back there. Stepping out of the room he sees Sanghyuk already dressed and eating breakfast, as if he knew that Hakyeon would not stand back while all this was happening.

“You look better than you did yesterday.” Sanghyuk mumbled with his mouth full. “Did something happen?”

“Hm?” Hakyeon’s head snapped up and he schooled his face into an imitation of innocence. “What do you mean?”

“Oh my god! You did it!” Sanghyuk’s eyes grew wide and milk was flying out of his mouth. “You drank his blood! And I bet you had amazing sex after too!”

Hakyeon’s face grew redder with each word that spills out of Sanghyuk’s lips, unable to find it in him to deny and of that. Instead, he turned away from his friend and quickly fixes himself a simple breakfast of some toast and quickly leaving the room, telling Sanghyuk that he would be leaving for the shop in a few minutes, causing the other to finish up his huge bowl of cereal as fast as he could before he sprinted out to the front door to meet with the witch so that they could head off to the shop together.

Hakyeon was a little overwhelmed. Looking around the shop he had no idea what to get started on first. He couldn’t find it in himself to be manning the shop and so he it to Sanghyuk. And now he’s just standing in the middle of the workroom, looking at all his half-finished potions that could no longer be used. So, with another laboured sigh he rolled his sleeves up and he got to washing up his cauldrons.

Once he was all done and every single one of them were dried out, Hakyeon decided that he should test his magic on something simple. Just to see if whatever happened the night before have any negative effects on his work. Grabbing the ingredients off his shelf, a healing potion is one of the easiest to make and it was also one of the products that he sold that seemed to be in great demand all the time.

Humming softly to himself, Hakyeon tried his best to keep the bad thoughts of the night before to the back of his head so that he could concentrate on what was before him. After a few moments, the potion was finished and he allowed it to cool down before bottling up and labelling it, bringing the new batch over to the counter where he could display them.

Looking down at the new bottles, Sanghyuk frowned a little. “Do you think it’s okay to sell this after last night?”

Hakyeon bit down on his lower lip, unsure of what the outcome may be but he gave the other a small nod. “Healing potions are mostly harmless. Unless it is used for an illness. These are for minor injuries so there are the simplest and the least harmful. It’s either they work or they don’t. and if they don’t we’ll just exchange them for the salves that we have.”

It was a good plan, a harmless one to see anything would go wrong.

Allowing Sanghyuk to display the small vials, Hakyeon went back to his safe space and waited for their customers to flow in for the day.

 

It was towards the end of the day when he realized the effects of the vampire blood in him. Customers that had about the healing potions have noticed that it was much more potent than before and that made Hakyeon’s heart skip a beat. Which means he could make stronger potions and give them in smaller batches. He could even try things that he never dared to try before because he was afraid that he was not powerful enough for it and maybe finally make use of the plant that Taekwoon had gifted him not long ago.

With that thought in mind he tells Sanghyuk to keep a look out while he went up to collect some of his research books so that he could make full use of this newfound abilities of his.

As he approaches his room door he hears Wonshik coming into the shop and looking for him, barely registering the wolf calling out for his name and the urgency it contained, he opens the door to complete darkness. Which confuses him to no end. He remembered pulling back the curtains to air out the room before he left to stay over with Taekwoon.

Reaching out he flicked the light switch on, and it was only then that a scream bubble out of his lips. Hakyeon’s body was jerked away from the sight of a bloody body in the middle of bed to Wonshik’s worried face.

“Hakyeon. Can you hear me?” Cupping the witch’s face Wonshik tried to get the attention back on him so that Hakyeon would not concentrate on the mangled body that was on his bed.

“Th..there..” Hakyeon’s eyes was blown wide with fear. “A body..”

Wonshik nodded to affirm Hakyeon’s words, trying to ease some of the witch’s fear that he could smell in waves coming off the trembling body in his arms.

“You need to go down to be with Hyuk okay? The rest will come as soon as they can.” Wonshik tore his eyes away from Hakyeon and looked out at the scene before him and flinches a little.

Letting go of Hakyeon, Wonshik slowly made his way over to the bed and he sniffed a little and it confirmed his suspicions. The blood that was on the note was from this vampire. And from the way this body was torn up, he knew that there is a monster out there hunting Hakyeon.

Walking over to the windows where the curtains were drawn, Wonshik tugs a little at it to let some of the sunlight in, not wanting to have Taekwoon see any of this and make him more worried than he already is over Hakyeon.

It was not as if he did not understand what Taekwoon was going through. To be honest, he would have done the same if this had happened to Hongbin. Taekwoon just didn’t have the luck of falling for someone who was as strong as Hongbin or as low profile as Sanghyuk.

Hongbin and him had originally thought that Hakyeon was one the behind the murders, but clearly he could not be more wrong.

Turning back to the bed, the body had turned into ash.

Not much time had passed when the sun had finally set and he could hear the rest of them quickly approaching the apartment. Reaching out, Wonshik opened the window so that the vampires could enter the apartment.

“What happened here?” Taekwoon asks as he scans the room for any foul play while Hongbin looked around for any clues that Wonshik might have missed.

“Hongbin and I were investigating the note when I noticed that something was not right with the way it smelled and somehow I smelled muted scents of it up here but I could not open the door the last time because Hakyeon had warded off the apartment. He came up before I could warn him and he saw all that.” Wonshik gestured to the bed where there was still some blood smeared on the sheets.

“And where is Hakyeon?” Taekwoon’s voice cuts through the silence.

“I sent him downstairs to be with Hyuk.” Wonshik mumbled.

“Um guys? Hakyeon isn’t downstairs with Hyukkie.” Jaehwan’s voice called out from downstairs.

With his eyes wide with shock Taekwoon rushed down to the shop only to see Sanghyuk’s eyes were wide with panic with not knowing where Hakyeon had gone off to.

“He must have disguised himself and ran away.” Hongbin went over to the door to inspect the wards to make sure that none of it was disturbed and that Hakyeon was not taken away against his own will. “I guess the blood you gave him made him stronger.”

Taekwoon cursed under his breath and left the house to look for Hakyeon.

-

It had been months since he was here.

And there was a small part of him that felt guilty for not visiting his parents even though they were all now in the same town, as he sat down before their tombstone he dusted them off with his fingertips.

Looking at the grey stone he lets out a soft sigh he allows himself to let his guard down even though he knows that he should not and rests he head against the cold concrete.

“I’m sorry I have not visited earlier. There was just a lot happening.” Hakyeon mumbled under his breath, tugging at the weeds that had started to overtake the space. “I’ve fallen in love. I don’t know if you’ve met him while I was away, but he was the one who saved me years ago, when I did something bad. And I think what’s happening now is karma coming back to pay the consequences of my actions.”

Hakyeon sniffled a little. He knew that there was no running away from karma. The further you run the bigger your debt to the balance becomes and the results were never pretty. There were a million horror stories he heard from the people in the city.

Tired of leaning against the hard surface he moves to lie down, snug in between the two stones that indicated that his parents were there and looked up at the night sky, looking up at the stars shining down on him. Maybe if he looked hard enough he would be able to see his parents floating in the cosmos, watching over him and keeping him safe despite everything.

Hearing the rustling of some leaves, Hakyeon brushed it off to the breeze that he felt against his warm skin. It was only when he heard the rustling coming closer to him that he sits up, only to see Yongguk before him, face pale and sunken in, staggering towards the witch.

Hakyeon quickly scrambles to sit up, moving back until his back hits the stones and he winces a little at the impact.

“Y..yongguk…” Hakyeon was ten again, thrown back in time where fear had a firm grip on him. Even more so now that Yongguk was barely recognizable, the skin of his face practically melting off his face.

“I need you to help me.” Yongguk’s voice was deeper and rougher than he remembered. “You need to help me, Hakyeon. Help me and your debt will be repaid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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